Breaking Point
by SkySmoke
Summary: People have breaking points. So do relationships. When an emotional case hits close to home will Castle push his relationship with Beckett too far? Or just far enough?    Sequel to Go Home Castle. Rated M for freedom later. Any M chapters will be labeled.
1. Chapter 1

Breaking Point: The Sequel to Go Home Castle

This story starts during Knockdown. I re tell the episode some so it fits my version of their relationship. If you have not read Go Home Castle, it will help you to understand where the Castle/Beckett relationship stands in my world.

It Starts off with a lot of fluff, but there is a point to the fluff, and there will be a case. I promise.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>As they sat in the car watching the man guarding the door through a night vision scope, Castle's mind drifted back over the case they were working on and how they had gotten to this point.<p>

He had seen something different in her eyes when he had opened the door at his loft that morning and she asked if they could talk. They had been together and dating for the past few months and he hadn't seen her eyes that guarded in what seemed like forever. He had reached out to hold her and try to comfort her, like he had done so many times before, but she had stepped back. He soon learned why. She had gotten a phone call from John Raglan, the detective who had been working on her moms case. He wanted to meet and tell her something about the case, and she asked him to come along.

She had let him hold her hand briefly in the car before pulling it away. She had been tense, and understandably so, so he didn't take it personally. They had watched the detective get shot right in front of them and from that point on she had tried pushing him away.

Things came to a boiling point when she slammed a suspect into the mirror in the interrogation room and the captain had ordered both of them off of the case. She wouldn't speak to him on the car ride home, only insisting that she would be fine as she dropped him off at his loft and headed back to her apartment.

Kate's mind was also drawn back to the case they had been working on, and the man who was sitting next to her. He had refused to take no for an answer when she dropped him off at his loft after being kicked off the case. He had shown up at her door a few hours later with a bouquet of flowers, only to find her crying on the couch. He had tried again to reach out and comfort her, but she had pushed him away. She couldn't deal with all of her emotions and had to push some of them aside. She had never been able to set aside her emotions regarding her mothers murder, so it had been her feelings for castle she had to shut down. He had come into her kitchen rambling about going back to the precinct to get her mom's case file. His enthusiasm had made her smile and she ended up showing him the murder board she had made on her shudders. The one she kept hidden from the rest of the world. The one she had started the summer he left for the Hampton's with Gina and had taken part of her heart with him. She had started it because she needed something constructive to do with the hurt she had felt. He had seemed to recognize that when he had asked if anyone else knew about it and her answer had been no, but he hadn't pressed the issue.

When they found out it had been a professional hit and the person had been watching her for a while, she became scared for his safety and had asked him to do something for her. His typical "Anything for you" had been his answer; until she had asked him to go home.

Castle remembered the anger that had flared up in him when she had told him that it wasn't his fight. The hell it wasn't. Anything concerning her was his fight, and she should know that by now. She had gotten mad at him over his explanation and had fired out the question "Then why do you keep coming back Rick?" and it had taken all of his will power not to tell her he loved her right then. He knew the timing was wrong and he didn't want her to think he was saying it just because of the nature of the case. So he had responded with the next best thing he could think of. He called himself her partner. The moment he said the word her face had softened and, for a moment, she let herself be the Kate he had been getting to know rather than Detective Beckett. She had whispered okay, and came to sit with him on the sofa, putting her walls back up almost as quickly as she had taken them down.

A string of events had landed them back on the case and, with Esposito and Ryan, they had been closing in on finding the person who had shot Detective Raglan. A man going by the name of Hal Lockwood. They had gotten too close and he had kidnapped Ryan and Esposito and was holding them hostage in the building they were now sitting in front of. Beckett was looking at the guy guarding the door through a night vision scope.

"That guy is going to spot a swat team from a block away, and warn Lockwood. We call in the Calvary and they're both dead."

She sighed as she lowered the scope. He looked over at her and longed to reach for her hand, but she had made it clear over the past few days that she didn't want anything to do with him in that sense.

"I'm open to dumb ideas here." She said quietly, looking out the window at the guard.

"Good, cause I got one."

He filled her in on his plan for them to act like a drunk couple coming in from a night out. He hoped it would at least get them close enough to the guy for Beckett to be able to take him out before he could warn Lockwood that they were there. She rolled her eyes at him, doubtful that it would work, but knew it was probably their only shot.

They got out of the car, giggling and stumbling and Beckett held onto the car as she made her way over to Castle. She fell against him and he wrapped his arms around her, pretending to steady her. The contact sent a jolt thought his body and he realized how much he had missed holding her. He held on a little tighter than he needed to as they stumbled towards the building and the guard at the door.

The guard looked at them and started walking down the steps towards them, his hand on the gun that was concealed under his jacket. Beckett noticed and titled her head up towards Castle's face.

"He's not buying it Castle." She said in a singsong, giggly voice as she turned her body towards him and put her hand on her gun. He knew this was their only shot and had one more idea to make it work. He took her hand and ripped it away from her gun while putting the other hand behind her neck, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes met his and there was a brief flash of recognition as she realized what he was going to do. He leaned toward her, at the same time pulling her to him as he kissed her. His hand slipped around her shoulders as they kissed.

She pulled back and looked at him, stunned. Their eyes locked for a minute and Kate realized how much she had missed him. She had been so busy pushing him away that she forgot how much she liked being with him. She moved towards him again, wrapping her arm around his shoulder as she kissed him back. She glanced briefly over his shoulder to see the guard still moving towards them, but slower, an amused smile spreading across his face. She pressed herself closer to Castle, wrapping both of her arms around his neck as she kissed him, taking his top lip between her teeth. She moaned softly as his hand moved across the back of her neck and though her hair. God she had missed him. She heard the guard chuckle as he decided that they were just a drunk couple making out. The noise brought her back to reality and she looked over Castle's shoulder to see the guard had turned away. She spun away from Castle and hit the guard across the back of the head with her gun; knocking him out cold.

She took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to recover from the whirlwind of emotions that had taken her by surprise with that kiss.

"That was amazing." She heard Castle mutter behind her. She turned to find him looking just as overwhelmed as she felt. She turned towards him slowly, a confused expression on her face. "The way you knocked him out…it was…." He stuttered and nodded his head towards the guard, who was laying on the ground at her feet.

"Lets go…yea" She muttered as she turned towards the building, still reeling. Castle took a deep breath and touched his lips before jogging after her. She told him to stay out of the way, so when they entered the building and heard Esposito yelling, she had taken the most direct route to them, and Castle went around the back. He heard all of the gunfire before he saw anything and wished, not for the first time, that he knew how to use a gun better. He hated feeling so helpless. He climbed on top of some shelving and pressed himself next to one of the cement supporting beams of the building to get a better look. He looked around the corner and what he saw infuriated him. A man with both a snipers stance and gun was aiming at Beckett. He launched himself at the guys back just as he was pulling the trigger. They fell to the ground together and Castle postioned himself so he was pinning the guy to the ground. He let all of his anger and frustration of the past few days come flying out through his fist as he beat the guy senseless. He stopped when he saw blood on the guys face and noticed he had stopped moving.

"You okay?" He heard Beckett ask as she walked towards them. Relief flooded though him at the sound of her voice. He looked up at her, confused as to why she was asking.

"Huh?" He said, meeting her eyes, his hand still curled into a fist. She glanced down briefly at the guy he had just punched out, then back at him. He looked down at the guy on the floor, then back at her.

"Never better."

And he meant it. As long as he knew she was okay, everything else would be just fine.

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><p>Kate hesitated, trying to find the right words to say to the man sitting in the back of the ambulance. The man who had just saved her life, not for the first time. Her partner. She smiled as she saw him start to unravel the bandage on his hand and stepped up into the ambulance, taking the seat across from him.<p>

"Hey there Chuck Norris." His laugh turned into a wince of pain as he kept unwrapping the bandage. She reached over and took it from him, gently starting to rewrap it.

"How's the hand?" She asked quietly.

"Excruciating."

"Hm." Neither of them looked at each other; instead they both watched her rewrap his hand. He finally looked up at her.

"How's Ryan and Esposito?"

"Ehm, mild hypothermia. Wounded pride. Guess which one will heal first?" She raised both eyebrows and smiled at him as she softly smoothed the edge of the bandage down. He smiled back at her and sighed. She still wasn't sure what to say to him. The case had been a whirlwind of emotions and he had been there with her, every step of the way, despite her best efforts to push him away. She swallowed, then looked up and met his eyes.

"Thank you." A look of confusion passed over his face and she smiled. "For having my back in there."

He smiled back at her, holding her gaze. He again felt himself fighting the urge to tell her that he loved her. To tell her how much she meant to him. This wasn't the right time either. His usual response in situations like this had been "Anything for you" but that didn't fit what he felt. It wasn't enough.

"Always." His voice was thick with emotion and the sincerity, both in his eyes and his tone of voice, made her breath catch in her throat. She had been expecting his usual "anything for you" response, which always made her smile. This was different. She knew it was his way of saying and promising things that she wouldn't let him say. She smiled at him as she climbed out of the ambulance and waited for him to follow.

They walked over to where the captain was standing.

"Good work you two, and I'm glad you're both okay."

"Thank you sir, so are we."

"There will be paperwork to fill out in the morning, but for now, go home and get some rest."

Beckett normally would have protested at being sent home, but she could feel the exhaustion starting to take over.

"Yes Sir." She said with a smile as she headed towards the car. Kate's mind was going a million miles a minute over everything that had happened that night. She willed herself to push everything aside for now, at least until she got home. She realized how close they had come to something happening to Ryan or Esposito. They had gotten there just in time. The thought of anything happening to either one of them made her cringe, and brought tears to her eyes. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as they climbed in the car.

She hesitantly reached for Castle's hand as she headed the car towards her apartment. It was the first time she had reached for him since the case started and she wasn't sure how much damage she had done to the relationship. He smiled as he felt her fingers wiggle their way between his and he gently squeezed her hand.

"Hey Castle…"

"Yea?"

"Would you mind…staying with me tonight? I…don't really want to be alone."

"Of course."

They stopped by his loft and he ran up, grabbed a change of clothes, and told Alexis and his mother where he would be for the night. It was more common for Kate to stay over at his place, but it wasn't unheard of for him to end up at hers either. They hadn't been spending any nights together during the case, so Martha asked.

"Does this mean the case involving her mothers killer is over?"

"For now. It doesn't really matter though, she asked me to stay, so I'm going to stay."

"Of course you are dear, of course you are."

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><p>Author's Note:<p>

If you are here from Go Home Castle, welcome back. If you are new, then just welcome :) Comments and critiques are always welcome, as long as they are worded politely. Flaming is not. If you don't like it, feel free to stop reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Castle sat on Beckett's couch as she changed and showered. He let out a sigh as he flipped the TV on and found the channel that ran reruns of old shows. Three's Company was on and he was thankful for the mindless entertainment. The case had been rough; first because it had been about her mother and then, when Ryan and Esposito had been taken, it had made things so much worse. The hardest part of it for Castle had been Kate's pushing him away. In their past few months together he had become accustom to her accepting his comfort, and even looking for it on occasion. When she had shown up at his door that morning asking him to come to the diner with him, her eyes had been just as guarded as they were when they had first met; and it had about killed him.

He had been relieved when she reached for his hand in the car on the way home, and thrilled when she had asked him to stay with her. He understood why she pushed him away when things got overwhelmingly emotional; it was just how she dealt with things. It was something that they would have to work on. He was determined to show her that she didn't have to do things alone, and it didn't mean she was weak either.

He heard the shower turn off and about ten minutes later she opened her bedroom door wearing sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Her hair was still damp and parts of it clung to her neck. She smiled at him through her exhaustion.

"Hey, do you mind if we watch TV in here? I'm so tired…"

"Of course." He switched off the TV and followed her into the bedroom. He climbed into her bed and leaned up against the headboard as he flipped on the TV. He was tired too, but there was no way he was falling asleep before she did. She surprised him by crawling into bed and pressing herself up against his side; her head on his chest and her arm draped across his waist. He could feel the dampness from her hair soaking though his shirt but he didn't care, he was just happy to have her back. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"God I missed you…" He murmured against the top of her head as he kissed it.

Her arm tightened around his waist and he felt her shoulders start to shake as he realized she was crying. He sighed softly and held her tighter as his heart broke for her. He knew this was the one hurt he couldn't do anything to fix. Her moms case was the one time when he felt the most helpless. They kept coming so close, only to have something else get in the way. First she had to kill Dick Coonan, right after figuring out he had been the one to kill Johanna, but before getting a chance to try to get out of him who had hired him. Then Raglan had come along, all of a sudden being willing to talk, and she had watched him die right in front of her too. She fought so hard to uncover the truth and bring closure to other people, it just seemed so unfair that she didn't have any herself. He ran his hand softly up and down her back, trying to think of something to say, but he knew there wasn't anything that would be of any use, so he just let her cry.

Kate thought she had control of her emotions, right up until he said he had missed her. For some reason that had been her breaking point. She had cried in the shower, but hadn't really let herself fall apart. She felt Castle's hand rubbing her back and relaxed a little at his touch. She mentally kicked herself for pushing him away so much during the case. She knew she could lean on him, but things with her mom's case were different. She still felt bad and as her crying slowed she shifted against him and tried to turn so she could look at him, but he wouldn't let go.

"Shh, Kate, just let it out."

She smiled sadly as she realized he thought she was trying to pull away from him. Sighing, she settled back down next to him.

"Castle…I missed you too." It was the closest she could come to saying sorry. It wasn't that she wasn't sorry; but saying sorry would open up the whole conversation as to why she had been pushing him away, and she didn't want to go there. She had become comfortable with the idea of Castle helping with her mothers case, despite the fact that at first she hadn't wanted him to touch it. He had done it anyways, and proved that his only intention was to try to help. Once she realized that it had become easier to share things about the case with him; including memories and stories about her mom, but leaning on him emotionally about it was an entirely different subject.

He kissed the top of her head again and ran his fingers though her still wet hair.

"Go to sleep."

"Hm, you too." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

"I will, as soon as you do."

She laughed quietly and laced her fingers together with his on the hand that was resting on his waist. He pulled the covers up over her and it wasn't long before he felt her fall asleep. Once he was sure she was asleep he shifted so he was laying down rather than leaning on the headboard. He moved carefully, so he didn't wake her up. Her only response was to mumble something unintelligible and snuggle closer to him; which he didn't mind at all.

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><p>Kate woke up the next morning and went to stretch, only to find Castle still had his arms wrapped around her. She smiled and opened her eyes to find him looking at her, his blue eyes sparkling.<p>

"You're cute when you're asleep, do you know that?"

She blushed and bit her lip.

"You were watching me sleep?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, considering the fact that you were laying on me, but yes, I was."

"How long have you been awake?"

"A half an hour maybe, not long."

"You could have gotten up."

"I didn't want to wake you. And I figured you didn't want to wake up alone."

She curled closer against him, her thigh draped over one of his legs and she ran her hand over his chest, letting it rest over his heart.

"Well…this is better than waking up alone."

"Mhhmm"

He put one hand over hers on his chest and wrapped the other around her shoulder. He winced a little as he flexed the fingers on his injured hand. They were stiff, but they didn't hurt as much as he thought they would after he moved them a few times.

"Is your hand okay?"

"Yea, just a little stiff. You want breakfast?"

"Hm, I am kind of hungry."

"Bacon?"

"You know me to well. But…does it involve you getting up?"

"Umm, unless you know a way for me to cook bacon in bed, then yes. Do you even have bacon?"

"Probably not, which is fine, because I don't really want you to get up anyways."

"Well…I suppose we can get bacon without me getting up."

He laughed and reached for his phone on the nightstand. He scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he wanted and hit call.

"Who are you calling?"

"That little breakfast place by my house. They have amazing food, remember?"

"Yes, I do, but…they don't deliver."

"Maybe not for everyone else they don't - Ah, good morning Julian, its Rick Castle, how are you?"

Kate couldn't hear what Julian was saying, but he sounded happy to hear from Castle. They chatted for a few minutes, then Castle ordered two of "the usual", gave Kate's address, then hung up.

"So, this place delivers just for you?"

"I know the owner, Julian, and his wife, Stephanie. They've owned the place for about five or six years now."

"And why do they deliver just for you?"

"When they first bought the place it wasn't doing very well. It was mine and Alexis's favorite place to eat breakfast, we used to go in there two or three times a week. Stephanie would make Alexis happy face pancakes. Anyways, like I said, it wasn't doing very well. I was shocked too because, as you know, the food is amazing. So I started mentioning it on twitter every time I went in there. I think I mentioned it in a few interviews too. They swear that its thanks to me that they are doing so well now. So, they deliver for me when I ask, which isn't very often."

"And what, exactly, is the usual?"

"You'll see. It has bacon, I promise."

Kate laughed and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. She had to go see the man who had been calling himself Hal Lockwood in prison today. It wasn't something she was looking forward to, but she had to do it. She had to ask him who hired him, even though she knew he wouldn't answer. He probably wouldn't speak to her at all, but she still had to do it. She wanted him to know that this was far from over, and that she wasn't going to back down until she had answers.

Castle felt her tense against him and he ran his hand over her back.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked quietly. She hesitated before answering. She knew he wouldn't want her to go.

"I'm going to see Lockwood today."

"We're"

"What?"

"You said you're going, as in alone. If you're going, so am I. We're going to see Lockwood today."

She leaned away from him and propped herself up on one elbow so she could look at him. His hair was sticking out at odd angles from sleep, which made her laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Bed head…it's a good look for you." She chuckled as she reached out and ran her hand through his hair in attempt to smooth down some of it. He caught her wrist and kissed her palm before letting it go.

"Sorry, not all of us wake up looking like a super model."

She rolled her eyes at him and blushed, then remembered the real reason she sat up.

"You're not going to try to talk me out of going to see Lockwood?"

"Like anyone could talk you out of something you have your mind set on? No, I'm not. I'm not thrilled at the idea, but if its something you need to do, that's fine, but I'm going with you. Whether you want me to or not."

She reached out and put her hand on his cheek as she kissed him softly. She realized it was the first time she had kissed him willingly since the case had started. She kissed slowly down the side of his neck and rested her forehead where his neck met his collarbone.

"I always want you with me Castle…even if it doesn't seem like it or I don't say it…"

Her sentence trailed off into silence as she attempted to control the emotions that were threatening to wash over her. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. He was shocked at what she had said. He knew it wasn't easy for her to say how she felt and for her to admit that much after she had just spent so much time trying to push him away made him feel a lot better. He rested his chin on top of her head.

"Shh, don't worry about it. I know."

"Do you?"

"I do now."

Kate laughed quietly. He was always so understanding about her walls and issues and she realized how lucky she was. Most men wouldn't be this patient with her.

_He's a keeper Kate. __That man would do anything for you. Anything you asked of him, and even some things you don't._

It was Lanie's voice that played in her head and she had to laugh. Castle was about to ask her what she was laughing at when there was a knock at her door. She groaned as he let go of her to get up and answer the door.

"I'll be right back. Just say here, we'll eat breakfast in bed."

She untangled herself from his arms and reluctantly moved to her side of the bed. She heard him have a brief conversation with whoever was at the door and a few minutes later he was back with forks and two Styrofoam containers of food. She folded her legs underneath her Indian style as he handed her one of the containers. She could smell the bacon before she even opened the lid.

"Castle, I swear, if you ordered me an entire container of bacon…I will shoot you. My gun is in my nightstand, you won't have time to run."

"It's not all bacon, I swear."

Kate laughed at him as she opened the container. He was right, it wasn't all bacon, but there was enough bacon for three people, along with an omelet that they could have shared and had plenty left over.

"Geez, is this enough food? There is no way I can eat all of this."

"That's fine, you can just add what you don't eat to the temple of Styrofoam in your fridge."

"Very funny."

"I thought so. I've been told I'm amusing."

"Hm, among other things."

"Oh, I know, charming, handsome, sexy."

"Patient, caring, understanding."

Castle had a quick comeback prepared, but then realized she hadn't said what he expected. His mouth fell open and he looked up at her. Her green eyes were sparkling and she winked at him.

"Why, Detective Beckett, did you just compliment me?"

"Don't get used to it. I must be hungrier than I realized."

They sat around talking and eating breakfast for another half an hour before she stretched and looked at the clock.

"We should head down to the precinct."

"Seriously? We have to get up?"

"Yup. Ryan and Esposito will be there, if they can make it to work today, so can we. Come on."

She stood up and grabbed his arm, dragging him off of the bed with her. They got ready in companionable silence and Castle smiled as she reached for his hand on the way to the car. He knew the trip to see Lockwood would be hard for her and that she would probably distance herself from him at some point during the day, but for now at least, she was back to being the Kate that he knew. He looked down at their hands and then over at her and smiled, amazed that of all the men she could have picked it was him that she wanted by her side.

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><p>Author's Note:<p>

I'm posting this, even though reviews are broken, which means I expect you to come BACK to review lol. I'm kidding. Its Castle monday, I had to post. Not to mention some prodding from friends.

Review that made my day: **Undercover Cop2 **withdrawls? from my writing? I am flattered. Seriously. First people call themselves fans, now withdrawls? I feel like Stana when I say this...I think its really cool. lol.


	3. Chapter 3

They ended up heading to the prison before going to the precinct. Kate wanted to get that part of the day over with. She told Castle he couldn't come in with her, to wait in the car. She needed to do this alone.

The man who claimed to be Hal Lockwood hadn't said a word to her, and she knew he wouldn't, but the point of the visit was to let him know that it was far from over. She had said what she needed to and let him know that she wasn't about to give up.

Castle was leaning against the passenger side door of the car as Beckett came walking across the parking lot. He could tell by the way she carried herself that she was upset; he had expected that she would be.

"Well?" He asked quietly as she stopped in front of him. She slowly shook her head no. He reached for her hand and went to pull her closer to him, but she tensed and wouldn't come any closer. She was looking down at the ground and refused to meet his eyes. He reached out and tilted her chin up so she was looking at him and he raised his eyebrows at her. She shook her head no again and he could see her trying to fight her emotions.

"That's fine, I can come to you." He said as he closed the space between them by stepping closer to her. She tensed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Stop trying to do everything alone Kate, I'm right here." He whispered in her ear, so quietly that she wasn't entirely sure she heard him at first. She sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his shoulder as the tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"Damn it Rick…" She hissed as the quiet tears gave way to the sobbing that shook her whole body. She wrapped her fists in handfuls of his shirt as she fought to control her breathing. She hated loosing control of her emotions like this. She hated it even more that the bastard in the prison was the reason for it. He didn't deserve this much emotion from her.

Rick could feel her fighting to regain control and he ran his hand softly up and down her back.

"Shhh. Its okay to be upset Kate."

"He doesn't deserve this much emotion." She practically spit the words out between deep breaths.

"No, he doesn't, but your mother does. This isn't about him, its about her. You keep coming so close to finding out the truth, just to have another challenge thrown at you. The truth is just as important to you as it was to her, which is why I know you won't ever give up until you know the truth; but until then, its okay to feel, its okay for it to hurt."

Damn him for knowing her so well and for making sense. She swallowed hard as she gave up trying to fight the tears and just let them come. The sobbing slowed back to quiet tears and she loosened her grip on his shirt. He wasn't sure how upset she was at him for trapping her in the hug so he started to let go when he felt her let go of his shirt. She tightened her arms around him and pressed herself closer.

"Don't let go yet." She whispered into his shoulder. He was shocked at her response and tightened his arms around her again. The tears slowly stopped and her breathing returned to normal. She sighed as she let go of him and smiled up at him shyly, her eyes still red from crying.

"Thank you…"

"Always." The word almost brought tears to her eyes again but she wiped them away with the back of her hand as she climbed in the car. She had to get a hold of herself, they needed to get to work.

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><p>They arrived at the precinct and Beckett smiled at the sight of Ryan and Esposito sitting at their desks. She didn't to think about what could have happened the night before.<p>

"Good morning boys."

"Morning Beckett, Castle. Nice to see you guys showing up together again." Ryan commented, winking at Castle. Beckett blushed, but let the comment slide. She was just glad they were both there.

"How are you guys?"

"Better than last night." Esposito answered with a smile. Beckett nodded. Danger was part of the job, and that was as far as the conversation would go. They were okay, and they knew that she was glad. They wouldn't thank her for finding or saving them, but they didn't have to. They would have done the same exact thing for her. Putting their lives on the line for each other was something they did daily sometimes, and the thanks was there without needing to be spoken out loud.

Beckett walked over to her desk and dropped her jacket over the back of her chair before sitting down to start paperwork. Castle took his customary seat beside her desk and started flipping though apps on his phone. About twenty minutes later the Captain opened the door to his office and walked to Beckett's desk. He smiled at the sight of the four of them sitting there.

"Good morning, I'm glad to see all of you back here."

"Thank you sir." Beckett said with a smile.

"We're glad to be here." Esposito added and Ryan nodded his agreement.

"Not too glad I hope because as soon as that paperwork is finished you are all taking the weekend off. And I do mean all of you." He added with a pointed look at Beckett, who was already opening her mouth to protest.

"I don't want to hear it Beckett. I can't even remember the last time any of you took a day off, let alone a weekend. This last case was hell, on all of you, and you need the time off."

"Sir, I appreciate the offer -"

"Its not an offer Beckett, its an order. We can survive without the three - four- of you for a weekend."

Castle smiled at the Captain counting him in the team. The captain noticed and winked at him.

"Wipe that smile off your face Castle, I only included you because I don't want you to think you can wander around here playing Sherlock Holmes without Beckett around to keep you in line. If she's off, so are you."

"Duely noted Sir."

"Besides, someone has to keep her busy enough to keep her away from here. I'm counting on you for that."

Ryan and Esposito chuckled as Beckett's mouth dropped open. She realized she was fighting a loosing battle and closed her mouth and went back to her paperwork. The captain laughed as he headed back to his office.

"I'm serious, all of you, I expect you out of here in the next hour. Paperwork can't take that long."

He said with a smile as he closed his door. Ryan and Esposito laughed between themselves at Beckett's disgusted expression. She ignored it for a little while, then glared up at them.

"Go ahead, keep laughing and I'll leave for the weekend and leave Castle with the two of you. Imagine him, bored, with nothing to do…"

They both stopped laughing and blinked at her a few times. Castle smiled and waved his fingers at them and they both quickly went back to their paperwork.

"That's what I thought." Beckett quipped, barely holding back her own laughter. Maybe a weekend off would do them all some good. The job was stressful, and they were always operating at 110% for every case.

About forty five minutes later she closed the folder on the paperwork she had finished.

"Well, that's it. I guess our weekend off starts now."

She smiled at Castle. Ryan and Esposito had left about fifteen minutes before and it was just her and Castle left. He got up from his chair and offered his hand to her.

"Shall we?"

Beckett noticed the playful sparkle in his blue eyes.

"Oh geez Castle, what do you have planned?"

"It's a surprise. Come on, lets go."

"Castle….."

"Beckett….did you really think I wasn't going to plan something when the Captain said we had an entire weekend off? Come on, lets go, we need to pack."

"Pack! Castle…what the hell are we going to do?"

"Come on, questions later."

"Ugh."

She groaned as she let him pull her up off of the chair and towards the elevator. As soon as the doors started to slide shut she turned to face him and had him backed up against the back wall of the elevator.

"Are you sure," She pouted as she ran her hand up his chest, "That you don't want to tell me where you're taking me?"

"This elevator ride is only one floor Kate."

"Hm, from what I remember, that's all I'll need."

She leaned forward as her hand slid behind his neck. She kissed slowly up the side of his neck and felt his hands grab her hips as she got to his earlobe. She took it playfully between her teeth then let go and whispered.

"Come on Rick, what do you have planned."

He could feel her breathe as she spoke and groaned at the feel of her lips on his neck.

"Mmm, you are such a tease."

"Only when it comes to torturing information out of you." She practically purred the words against his neck and pressed herself closer to him. He ran his hands up her back and through her hair, pulling her slightly farther away from him. He loved the mischievous look in her eyes; it was a side of her that she didn't show very often. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

"And it would work, except those doors are going to open in a second and this is going to look very weird to anyone who might happen to be standing outside."

As he spoke the elevator slide to a stop. She pushed herself away from him and crossed her arms right as the doors slid open.

"Damn it Castle." She huffed as she strode out of the elevator. He followed her, laughing.

"Aw, come on Kate, part of the fun is in the surprise." He chided as they got into the car. "Just let me do something nice for you for once, without resisting the whole time, please?" Her face softened some and he could tell he had her. She looked over at him and he pouted.

"Fine," The word came out as a long, annoyed breath. "But there are conditions."

"Of course, there are always conditions with you. What are they this time?"

"You are not whisking me away to some foreign country for the weekend. And…you are not buying me a pony." She added the pony part with a laugh.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, because I have conditions of my own."

"Oh do you now?"

"Yes. I promise I won't whisk you away to another country…or buy you a pony, so you have to agree to my conditions as well. There are only two."

"Alright, what are they?"

"You have to promise to relax and have a good time."

"Okay, and?"

"You didn't promise." She laughed. God he sounded five when he wanted to.

"Fine Castle, I promise to relax and have a good time."

"Thank you. The second one is you can't complain or tell me that I can't spend money on you. Whatever it is that I have planned, or where ever we are going, you have to just accept it."

She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. His spending huge amounts of money on her was something she hadn't been able to be comfortable with and he knew she hated it. He raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her to agree.

"Castle…"

"Beckett…" He said lightly, mocking her tone. "Come on, one weekend, it won't kill you to just let me have my fun. Who knows, you might just have fun too."

"Castle…you don't need to spend huge amounts of money on me in order for me to have fun."

"I know that. Have you ever thought that maybe I want to? That I enjoy it?"

Kate chewed on her bottom lip and huffed.

"Fine. I won't say anything about you spending insane amounts of money. Now, will you tell me where we are going?"

"Nope. You'll see when we get there."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Wow, an update daily...don't get spoiled, mkay? Lol. I have a lot of this already written because I was without internet for a week, so, at the moment I can update quickly. It may not always be this fast lol.

Review that made my day: **CastleCraze** for asking if I am secretly a writer for the show. Really? Best compliment ever. Lol. And oh, don't I wish!


	4. Chapter 4

Beckett woke up as Castle's private jet touched down on the runway. He smiled at her from the black leather reclining seat next to her.

"Sleep well?"

"Amazingly, yes. I hate flying."

"Hm, its different when you're the only two people on the plane."

Kate huffed at him. She had hated the idea of taking his private jet anyways, to…wherever it was that they were going. She sat up and looked out the window and saw the iconic black pyramid of the Luxor hotel. She turned to face him, her eyes wide.

"Castle! Are we in Las Vegas?"

"Yes, we are. Welcome to Sin City." He winked at her as she turned to face him.

"You just…flew us to Vegas?"

"Yes…its not another country…"

"No! Just…the other side of this one."

"No, not completely. That would be California…"

She rolled her eyes at him as the plane came to a stop. They climbed out of their seats and made their way to the door of the plane. One of the attendants opened it and Castle walked ahead of her down the stairs. She stopped at the top and her mouth dropped open. Waiting, on the runway, was a stretch limo.

"Castle…seriously?"

He beamed at her from the bottom of the stairs.

"This weekend, you are in my world. Kate Beckett, welcome to Las Vegas….Richard Castle style." He made a dramatic sweeping gesture towards the city as a whole as she walked down the steps of the jet.

"Is this seriously how you travel all of the time?" She mumbled as they climbed into the limo.

"No, not all of the time. But, I figure I'm not going to get you to agree to this very often, so I'm pulling out all the stops while I can."

She sighed as she realized that arguing with him would be pointless. She was already there, why not make the best of it. As long as he didn't get too carried away. She watched out the windows as they drove.

"Where are we staying? And please don't tell me that your own your own hotel."

"No. We're staying at the Bellagio."

"Separate rooms?" She said with a coy smile.

"If you'd like. The villa we are staying in has separate wings, so really, you'd never have to see me."

Her mouth dropped open at the thought of a hotel room…with separate wings. She shook her head softly at the man sitting next to her. The man who could have any woman in the world and for whatever reason had chosen her. She slid over next to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she leaned against him.

"If didn't want to see you, I would have stayed home."

"Just checking."

She leaned against him for the rest of the ride to the hotel; content to sit in silence as he ran his fingers though her hair and traced random patterns on her upper arm. She found herself drifting to sleep the way she often did when he held her. It amazed her how much he could get her to relax when she would let him. He leaned down and softly kissed her temple as she felt the limo pull to a stop.

"We're here."

As she sat up, the door to the limo was opened.

"Mr. Castle, Miss Beckett, welcome to the Bellagio."

Kate's mouth dropped open at the fact that they were not at the front of the hotel, but what seemed to be a private entrance to their own room. The word room didn't quite do the place justice. It was more like a tiny hotel. Rick climbed out of the car then turned and offered her his hand. She took it and climbed from the car open mouthed as they followed the man to the room. He unlocked the door and stood to the side as he motioned them in with his arm.

"Please, make yourself at home. Mr. Castle, everything you normally request is here, along with the additional requests you made. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to call. Same for you as well Miss Beckett."

"Thank you Matthew."

Castle smiled as he handed the man a tip. Beckett was pretty sure it was a hundred dollar bill, but she was too busy gaping at the hotel room to really notice. The door opened to a living room that was bigger than her entire apartment. The floor to ceiling window looked out on a private pool that had a fountain in the middle. A big screen TV hung on one wall and the room was decorated in black leather furniture. To the right was a full sized kitchen with stainless steel appliances and black granite countertops. Along one side of the kitchen ran a full sized bar. A hallway branched off each side of the room.

"Castle…seriously?"

"What?"

"We're….staying here?"

"Yes. This is where I always stay. I love the privacy. The staff is amazing as well. Your bags will be in the bedroom. I would have had them unpack them for you like they do mine, but I wasn't sure if you would want someone in your things, so I just had them leave yours packed."

"Thanks…I…um…"

"Amazing isn't it? I had them put our stuff in the bedroom that has the bathroom with the biggest bathtub, but if you want your own room, feel free to move your things. Or I can move mine. I know how much you like baths, and that tub is sinful."

She turned to face him and raised one eyebrow at him, a mischievous smile crossing her face as she moved to stand directly in front of him.

"Do _you_ want me to have my own room?" Her eyes met his as she rested her hands on his hips. She didn't have heels on and their height difference was much more noticeable. She had to look up to look into his eyes and she knew he loved it.

He smiled at how much more at ease she had become when it came to physically displaying her affection towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, his chin resting on top of her head.

"I've told you before, I want to wake up next to you every morning, but this weekend isn't about me. Its about you relaxing. If you want your own room, then you have one."

She sighed softly against him. They had been together for a few months now and she still hadn't gotten used to moments like this when he made her feel like she was going to melt. He was still annoying, obnoxious, childish Castle at times, but there was still and entire other, softer side to him that she was still getting to know. She leaned back and kissed him briefly.

"For this weekend at least you'll be waking up next to me. I don't want my own room, but I do want to see the rest of this one."

He smiled at her almost childlike excitement as she headed off to explore the rest of the villa. She had been letting him see past more and more of her tough "Detective Beckett" exterior and into the woman that was Kate. The more he saw, the harder he had been falling for her. He sat down on the sofa and turned the TV on as she explored the rest of the villa.

She wandered into the bedroom they would be sharing and, like he said they would be, her bags were on the floor next to one of the closets. She took a few minutes to unpack her things. She wasn't used to staying in hotels and very rarely unpacked when she did, but it gave her a moment alone to take everything in. The room itself was huge. The bed was one of the biggest she had ever seen and was made up in a beautiful, ornate burgundy and silver comforter. It had an enormous canopy in the same amazing shade and the rest of the room seemed to have been decorated around the bed. After she unpacked she went into the bathroom. The bathtub Castle had mentioned took up an entire wall and looked more like a Jacuzzi than a bathtub. She walked over to it and noticed that a new bottle of shampoo that she normally used was sitting on the edge. As she glanced around the bathroom she realized that all of the things they both normally used were already stocked. That must have been what Matthew had meant when he said the usual things were here.

She headed back to the living room and sat on the couch next to Castle.

"Well? What do you think?" He asked with an excited smile.

"Its…beyond amazing. That bed looks so comfortable, it was hard not to just crawl into it right now."

"It is even more comfortable than it looks, but you're not allowed in it just yet. We have plans."

"Oh, we do huh?"

"Yes. Remember how you promised that you wouldn't complain about me spending money on you? And that you would just accept whatever I have planned?"

"Ugh, yes. And I've already kept my mouth shut."

"You have…and I thank you for that and ask that you keep that promise in mind for the rest of the trip. I have a few things planned, then we'll come back here and change before dinner. For now, what you have on is just fine, ready?"

She shook her head softly at him as she stood up, taking his hand as he lead her out the door.

* * *

><p>They took a tour of their hotel first, walking though the botanical gardens and to the lobby to look at the amazing display of blown glass flowers that adorned the ceiling. Then they headed to the Venetian where he insisted on buying her gelatos' Italian ice cream and taking her on a gondola ride. They stood and watched one of the human statues performing and Castle smiled as she stood in front of him and leaned back against his chest, pulling his hands to wrap around her waist as they watched. He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck briefly, then laughed as she blushed when the statue they were watching turned and lifted its arm to point at them, leaving it frozen there and causing the whole crowd to look at them.<p>

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." He whispered in her ear.

She shrugged and laughed it off. They stood and watched for a few more minutes then wandered to the front of the hotel.

"Oh wow." She stopped when they walked out the front doors. It had gotten dark while they were inside and the strip was lit up.

"Amazing isn't it?"

"Yes. Its very pretty. What do you have planned next Mr. Castle?"

"Dinner. But first we have to go change."

She chewed her bottom lip nervously as they waited for the limo. He moved to stand beside her and slid his arm around her.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing…its just that…you didn't tell me where we were going so I didn't really pack anything nice enough for dinner out anywhere."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." He smiled smugly as the limo pulled up. She slid inside and he moved and sat next to her.

"What did you do Castle?"

"Oh…nothing really. Just…don't worry about what you'll wear."

He was surprised when, instead of questioning or arguing, she simply sat back in her seat. A minute later she smiled over at him.

"Thank you Castle, I'm having a really good time."

"We're just getting started."

She reached over and laced her fingers between his and left them there until they pulled up to the villa. It was Matthew again who opened the door to the limo.

"Mr. Castle, Miss Beckett. Welcome back."

"Thank you Matthew."

"Please, call me Kate."

Matthew smiled brightly at her as he walked them to the door.

"Very well, Kate. Your dresses are in your closet in the bed room. If you don't like any of them, please let me know. I have a few more I can bring up."

Kate's mouth dropped open. Castle laughed.

"Thank you Matthew. Excellent service as always."

The men shook hands as Castle closed the door. He turned to find Kate still staring at the door.

"Dresses?" She asked.

"Yes. You know, those articles of clothing that you women sometimes wear to dinner. I had him bring a few for you to pick from."

"Castle, you don't -"

"Ah, ah. None of that, remember? Just go pick one and get dressed."

She pursed her lips and glared at him before heading off to the bedroom. She opened the closet door and her mouth fell open again. There were ten dresses in all colors and lengths, with just as many shoes. She looked at the dresses a few times before choosing a dark navy blue one that came to her knees. The dress was a silky material that hugged her body until it reached her hips, then the skirt fell loosely to her knees. The straps came up like a halter top, but then made an X across her shoulder blades in the back, leaving most of the back of the dress open. It came to a V at the small of her back. The shoes she chose were simple black heels that had leather lacing that wrapped around her leg a few times before tying a few inches above her ankle. She pulled her hair up in a French twist, leaving a few curls hanging down around her face. She touched up her makeup and then took a breath to calm the her nerves. She had no idea why she was nervous and laughed at the thought.

Castle was already dressed and waiting for her on the couch when she walked back into the living room. He stood up and stared when she walked into the room.

"My god Kate…"

His mouth dropped open as he looked at her. He knew she was a beautiful woman. Anyone looking at her knew that, even when she was dressed for work, but she rarely wore clothes that showed off her figure. The dress fit her like a glove, showing off every inch of her well toned body. The laces on the heels gave the illusion that her legs were even longer than they actually were and having her hair pulled up, with just a few stands hanging around her face, made her look almost delicate; even though he was very aware that she was not.

"What?" She asked, sucking her lip between her bottom teeth the way she did when she was nervous. He laughed quietly at the habit; like she had a reason to be nervous.

"You are breath taking."

He smiled as she blushed, which only made her look even prettier.

"Thank you." He walked over to her and stood a few inches in front of her, waiting until she looked up into his eyes.

"Just one more thing, and you'll be perfect."

She tilted her head questioningly and he pulled a blue tiffany's box from his pocked and held it out to her.

"Castle! Absolutely not."

"Kate…" He pouted, "You promised." She set her jaw and glared at him.

"I draw the line at you buying me jewelry."

"Its not a pony. The only thing I promised not to buy you was a pony. If you don't take it, I will be forced to send Matthew to find you a pony. And don't think he wouldn't do it."

She laughed at him, even though she knew he was serious. She had no doubt that if she didn't take whatever was in the box, she would probably wake up to an entire petting zoo in the living room of the villa. She gave him one last dagger stare before snatching the box from his hand. He smiled triumphantly as she opened it and gasped.

Inside was a diamond journey necklace; seven diamonds, starting small and each one a little bit bigger than the next, arranged in a slightly curved pattern mean to symbolize a road. It hung from a delicate silver chain.

"Thank you for the journey Kate. For where we've been, where we are now, and where ever we end up in the future. It has been amazing so far, and I'm thankful every day."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and he smiled softly at her.

"Can I put it on for you?" She nodded, not trusting her voice. He took the box from her and clipped the necklace around her neck. It fell in the perfect spot in the middle of her chest and she reached up and ran her finger over the path. He moved back in front of her and smiled.

"There, now you're perfect."

She leaned up and kissed him, pouring everything she was feeling into the kiss. He responded by pulling her closer, his hands running up her back. She sighed softly into his mouth at the feeling of his hands on her bare skin. She wrapped her arms around him, her hands running over his shoulders then lacing together behind his neck. He ran one hand down her back again, resting it in the small of her back and leaving the other at her shoulders. She shivered at his touch and he smiled, pulling her even closer. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and was rewarded when a breathy moan escaped her lips. They were interrupted by a soft knock at the door and pulled back from the kiss breathless.

"Thank you Matthew, we'll be out in a minute." He called out as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Damn, I have to remember to buy you jewelry more often." She smacked him on the chest but her eyes were sparkling as she pulled away from his embrace.

"Thank you Rick, its beautiful."

"You are more than welcome." She took the hand he held out to her and followed him to the limo, wondering what else he had planned before the weekend was over.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Yay Vegas! Lol. I was going to split this into two chapters, but I didn't want to torment you guys too much. That and I had fun writing the necklace scene, so I wanted to post it. Embrace the fluff. Love the fluff. Enjoy the fluff while it is here...what? Forshadowing? nooo...

Review that made my Day: **NewspaperBalloons** - for saying she thinks I'm actually Stana writing fanfic. You have no idea how much that made me smile. I promise, I'm just little ol' me writing over here.

To anyone who reviews, I really do thank you. I try to respond to all of them, but sometimes I don't get the time.


	5. Chapter 5

They climbed out of the limo at the Paris hotel and Kate looked up in awe at the replica of the Eiffel tower all lit up.

"Pretty amazing isn't it?" Castle asked.

"It is. Where are we going anyhow?"

"First? To the top. Then to dinner."

"The top?"

"Yep. They have an elevator ride to the top, the view is amazing and you can't come to Vegas without seeing it."

He took her hand as they weaved their way though the casino floor and bought tickets. They walked across the bridge to the base of the tower. They didn't have to wait in line and quickly found themselves wedged into one of the small elevators for the brief ride to the top. There were too many people in the elevator and Kate pressed herself up against Castle's chest to make more room between her and the people standing around her. She was relived to get off the elevator but the top of the tower itself was just as crowded. The view was well worth it though and they stopped at several points to look down the strip and out across the city. Castle glanced at his watch and pulled her over to the side of the tower that faced their hotel. He weaved his way though the crowd and found a spot at the front near the guard fencing. He moved Kate in front of him.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back so she was leaning against his chest.

"The fountains play every fifteen minutes at this time of night, they should be starting about now."

As he finished speaking the tunes of "Hey Big Spender" reached the top of the tower as the fountains at the front of the Bellagio started to dance. Kate smiled as the crowd around them hushed as they were all transfixed by the dancing water. The dance lasted the length of the song and ended with the largest fountain shooting well past the top of the Bellagio's highest point. The crowd clapped and cheered at the end then gradually moved to other points around the top of the tower. Kate leaned back more against Rick and moved her hands over his around her waist.

"You want to wait for the next show?" He asked quietly, not sure what to make of her actions. She shook her head.

"No, I was just…enjoying the moment. I'm having a good time Rick, thank you."

"Anything for you."

She laughed quietly as he unwrapped himself from around her and took her hand as they walked back to the elevators. The ride down was just as uncomfortable as the one up had been and Kate kept herself pressed against Rick. They didn't go all the way to the bottom and as they walked off the elevator she figured out why. There was a restaurant in the tower itself.

"Ah, Mr. Castle, welcome back. Your table is ready, right this way."

They were greeted at the entrance to the restaurant and guided directly to a table. As they walked Kate glanced around the dining room. It was simple, but elegantly decorated. The chairs were a deep burgundy and contrasted nicely against the crisp, white table clothes. It was dimly lit and each table had candles and fresh flowers. Each table was different and theirs had star gazer lilies. Castle pulled her chair out for her and she giggled as she sat down. He looked at her questioningly as he took his seat and the host went to get them a bottle of wine.

"What is so funny?"

"I just have a hard time believing that you are a gentleman sometimes."

"Would you rather I pull the chair away as you sat?"

"No, but its more along the lines of what I would expect from you."

"Oh, I see how it is."

"The man who owns his own laser tag game is insulted by being referred to as childish?"

"It is not just laser tag. It is top of the line laser tag."

"Oh, my apologies. The man who owns over priced laser tag…"

"You're just jealous."

"Of your laser tag?"

"Yes.

"Damn, you figured me out Castle. It is my life long dream to own my very own laser tag set."

"And now you're mocking me."

"Yes, I am."

"Mock away, but if you would play sometime, you would want one too."

"I play with real guns Castle, I don't need lasers."

"That's right, you have Disney movies to please your inner child with."

He winked at her and they both laughed. She was glad that their romantic relationship hadn't changed their friendship. He wasn't afraid to tease her or be sarcastic with her, and she felt the same way about him. It was one of the best aspects of their relationship in her eyes. They had built it on a strong friendship, a lot of trust, and honesty. The waiter came and poured them some wine. Rick ordered a few different things without looking at the menu and the waiter hustled off to the kitchen. Kate took a sip of her wine and wasn't surprised that it was some of the best she had ever had. Rick smiled at her and reached across the table to hold her hand.

"Look." He said as he gestured out the window. Their table was direct across from the Bellagio fountains. While they were still above the strip, they weren't nearly as high as the top of the tower and the view was totally different. They watched another show and Kate turned to smile at him when it was over.

"So, what does it take to get this table?"

"Oh, nothing really."

"Uh huh, sure. And the fact that the tables directly next to us are empty too? I suppose that's normal?"

"Of course it is."

"Rick…this is all amazing, but you really didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

"Its not trouble, I like making you happy."

She sighed as he squeezed her hand.

"Well, I'm very happy."

"Good. Then I'm doing my job well."

The waiter came over, looking embarrassed.

"Excuse me Mr. Castle, I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but there are a few of your fans that are asking if you would sign something for them. I wouldn't normally interrupt but I was afraid they were going to cause a scene. They saw you walking in."

Rick glanced at Kate who smiled and nodded her head.

"Not a problem Gregory. I know you guys all do your best to make sure I am not disturbed. Go ahead and bring them over if they promise to stay quiet."

"Thank you Mr. Castle."

He hurried off and Kate laughed.

"He thought you were going to be upset."

"They do their best to keep people's privacy around here. That is why we were brought right in and why most of this section is fairly empty. But they can't help it sometimes."

The waiter returned with three young girls who were keeping their promise and not saying a word as they walked up to the table.

"Five minutes and I am coming back to escort you out." Gregory muttered at them.

"Oh my gosh it's Richard Castle!" One of the girls squeaked. "I am a huge fan, I just love your Nikki Heat books!"

"Thank you, its always nice to meet fans. What is your name?"

"Savannah. These are my friends Rebecca and Megan. We've all read both Nikki Heat books and we can't wait for the next one!"

Savannah continued to speak excitedly and Rebecca and Megan nodded in agreement. One of them finally noticed that Kate was sitting there and her eyes grew wide.

"She's Nikki Heat!"

All three girls turned to look at her and she waved shyly.

"In the flesh, but my name is Kate Beckett. Nice to meet you."

All three of them shook her hand.

"Oh wow, you are so pretty." Rebecca said quietly "He doesn't do you justice in the books. You are so much prettier in person."

"Well thank you, but Nikki and I are different people. Not everything is exactly the same." Kate said, blushing.

"The waiter mentioned you wanted me to sign something? Do you have a copy of the books with you?" Rick said, bringing the conversation back to him. He knew Kate wasn't very comfortable being the center of attention. Savannah batted her eyes at him.

"No, but…could you just sign here?" She said coyly as she slid her dress sideways, exposing more of her chest and handing him a sharpie.

"Sorry, but I don't do that anymore. I'd be happy to sign something that isn't a body part though." He said with a wink at Kate.

"Oh! You guys are together?"

"Yes, we are."

"That is so cool. Just like Rook and Nikki. Um, let me find something."

All three girls dug though their handbags and found pieces of paper for him to sign. They also asked for Kate's autograph which she happily gave, blushing the entire time. The waiter came back shortly after she signed the last slip of paper. They all thanked Castle as they were ushered away. Rick smiled at her as they walked away.

"Well, they were just as excited to meet you as they were to meet me."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that."

"I would."

"And since when do you not sign body parts? That was your trademark."

"Since you."

She ducked her head and smiled and he reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I mean it."

"I know you do."

The waiter came back over with the first course of the meal. They ate and talked as they watched the fountains every fifteen minutes. Kate didn't bother asking what they were eating because everything was delicious. Judging by the number of fountains shows they watched they had been sitting there for forty five minutes when the waiter brought out desert. It was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and other various chocolates. There was a design drawn on the bottom of the plate and around the edges in chocolate sauce. Along one edge the words "You are Extraordinary" were written in chocolate as well and the waiter set the plate down with that side facing Kate. She smiled across the table at Rick.

"You are too much." He smiled broadly at her and winked.

"And you are extraordinary."

She laughed and shook her head and they finished desert as another fountain show started. They watched it finish and then left, thanking Gregory on the way out. The elevator ride to the casino floor wasn't as uncomfortable because there were less people.

"Can we walk back to the hotel? I'm full and walking would feel good. Plus I'd love to watch the fountains from the front."

"Sure." Castle pulled his phone out and text Matthew that they would be walking back and didn't need the limo. He reached over and took her hand as they walked towards the strip. The walk to the front of the Bellagio was short and they walked in comfortable silence. Castle glanced at his watch as the got to the front of the lake where the fountains were.

"Five more minutes."

"I don't mind waiting." She moved to stand in front of him and leaned back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Me either." She sighed contentedly and found herself surprised that she was glad they had taken time off from the precinct. She loved her job, but she hadn't realized how much she had needed time away until now.

"You okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. More than fine actually. I know I've said it a few times, and it won't be the last time I say it over the weekend, but thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome. I knew you needed to actually get away from the city before you would let yourself really relax."

She smiled at how well he really knew her. Had they stayed in New York she would have always had work in the back of her mind. She would have felt the need to call the precinct and make sure she wasn't needed. Work hadn't crossed her mind once since she had gotten off the plane until that moment, and it was only to realize how much she had needed the break. They stood and watched people walk by them for a few minutes before the fountains started. The song was Fur Elise and the view from so close was Kate's favorite. The sheer magnitude of the fountains was awe inspiring and she had to tilt her head back to see the very top of them when they shot to their full height. She joined in the clapping at the end and then turned to Rick.

"I think this view is my favorite."

"Its mine too, thought the view from the top of the tower is pretty amazing too, in a different way."

"True."

"You ready to head back to the room? Or did you want to do something else?"

"No, as much fun as I'm having, I'm tired. And I can't wait to find out just how comfortable that bed really is."

"Oh, it won't disappoint you."

They walked into the villa to find a bouquet of roses and a bottle of campaign in a bucket of ice sitting on the table in the entrance.

"Ah, Matthew thinks of everything. Champagne?"

"No thanks. I had enough wine with dinner."

"I'll stick it in the fridge."

Kate wandered in the bedroom to change. She was surprised when she walked into the bathroom to find the tub full of hot water and bubble bath. She hadn't planned on taking a bath, but since it was already ready, she didn't to waste it.

"Castle?"

"Yea?" He answered as he walked in the room.

"Was this your doing?" She asked, gesturing at the bathtub.

"Perhaps. Enjoy it, the jet controls are on the wall. I'll be in bed when you're done."

He smiled as he kissed her softly then walked out, pulling the door closed behind him. She sighed and shook her head as she slipped off her heels and the dress. She took off the necklace he had given her and put it on the counter before stepping into the tub. She winced as her foot hit the water; it was hot, but she got used to it quickly and slid into the tub, sighing as the hot water hit her tired muscles. She reached over and pressed a button on the control panel causing the jets to come to life. She sank down in the water up to her chin and closed her eyes as the jets massaged her back. The tub was big enough for her to stretch out and she did, leaning her head back against the edge. She was careful not to let herself fall asleep, which would have been easy, but instead lingered on the edge between being asleep and awake. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so relaxed. She laid there for ten minutes then made herself get up. She could have easily stayed there for a half an hour or more, until the water got cold, but she knew Rick wouldn't go to sleep until she was there, and she didn't want him to wait for her. She knew he was tired too.

She climbed out of the tub, dried off and pulled her hair out of its twist. She ran her fingers thought it until it fell loosely around her shoulders then pulled on the pajamas that had been left in the bathroom for her. They consisted of a pair of shorts and one of Rick's old t-shirts. The t-shirt was longer than the shorts so it looked like she was only wearing the shirt. She opened the bathroom door to find Rick sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard watching TV. He looked over at her and smiled.

As much as he loved seeing her dressed up to go out, his favorite look was when she was completely relaxed. When she first woke up in the morning or at night before bed when she was wearing one of his old shirts. It was often those times when her guard was down the most and it was when he found her the most beautiful.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked as she walked around the bed.

"You."

"What about me?"

"Just you. Did you enjoy your bath? It wasn't very long."

"It was amazing, but I didn't want you waiting up for me."

She crawled under the covers and sank into the most comfortable bed she had ever been on. It molded around her body and was like laying on a cloud.

"Wow. I might never want to get up."

"You better, we have plans for tomorrow too."

"Of course we do." She fought off a yawn and he smiled as he reached out and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Go to sleep."

"You too."

"I will, as soon as you do."

She rolled her eyes at him and rolled onto her side, facing away from him. He turned off the TV and slid down so he was laying in the bed next to her. She shifted so she was laying against him, her back against his chest. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her and she moved even closer.

"Good night Rick." She whispered, already half asleep.

"Good night Kate."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

I hope you guys are having as much fun reading this as I have had writing it. Reviews are loved :D

Review that made my day: **rkcarrot** for the talented writer comment. Hopefully you enjoyed my other stories as much as you did this one.


	6. Chapter 6

She woke up the next morning to the faint smell of bacon. She smiled before she opened her eyes, assuming Castle would be in the kitchen cooking. She was surprised when his blue eyes were looking back at her.

"Good morning beautiful."

She laughed at the fact that he could make her blush before she was even all the way awake.

"Good morning yourself. But…if you're here, why do I smell bacon?"

"Because, breakfast is ready."

"You made breakfast and came back in here and laid down?"

"Nope, I told you, I like waking up next to you. The room comes with a private chef. He made breakfast."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I told him you had to have bacon, other than that, I have no idea what he made."

"I do like things other than bacon at breakfast ya know?"

"Oh, I know. I just know bacon is your favorite. Why is that anyways?"

Kate sighed. She knew he would ask eventually, and it wasn't that she didn't want to tell him, she just felt stupid about it.

"You promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise."

"When I was growing up, my mom used to make breakfast all the time. On school days it was usually something simple like eggs and toast or oatmeal, but on the weekends she would go all out. Waffles, pancakes, omelets, eggs Benedict, whatever she was in the mood to make, but it always included bacon. She knew it was my favorite and if I had a bad day at school, sometimes the next day she would make me happy face pancakes for breakfast just to make me smile. She even did it when I was in high school. It always included bacon…for the mouth. So…the smell of bacon in the mornings always reminds me of her…and it makes me smile."

She finished the story with a nervous laugh as she smiled at him. He smiled back at her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"So, that's why I like bacon. Its probably stupid and childish, I know, but-"

"It's not stupid, or childish. Thank you for sharing."

She glanced down and reached up to twirl her hair around her finger.

"You're welcome. Thank you for not laughing."

"Of course. Now come on, lets go eat." He kissed her forehead softly before crawling out of bed. She groaned and stretched, then pulled the blankets back up to her chin.

"Do we have to get up?" She pouted. He smiled at the fact that she looked about twelve years old.

"We don't have to, we can spend all day in bed if you want." She sighed again and threw the covers back as she sat up on the edge of the bed.

"No, well, yes I do. But I know you have things planned. And breakfast smells amazing."

They walked out to the dining room and Kate stopped in her tracks. Set out on the table was a buffet style breakfast with waffles, bacon and everything in between.

"Um, all this food for two people?"

"Apparently. That is the last time I tell him that I'm not sure what he should make. I guess he takes that as his cue to make some of everything."

"Well, I do hate to disappoint." A cheerful voice came from the kitchen as the chef walked around the corner.

"Your food could never disappoint Rodrigo. I'd like you to meet Kate Beckett, my…partner."

Kate smiled at the fact that Castle wasn't sure what to call her. Partner was probably the most accurate term to use, on more than one level. Girlfriend just sounded so…wrong when it came to their relationship.

"Nice to meet you Rodrigo. Thank you for breakfast, though I know there is no way we will eat all of this."

"The pleasure is all mine. Can you think of anything else you'd like?"

"No, I think you have it all covered." She laughed.

"Very well then, I will leave you to enjoy your meal. Please call if you need anything."

Rick nodded and Rodrigo quietly slipped out the front door. They both grabbed plates and piled them with food before sitting at the end of the table that wasn't occupied by serving trays. Everything was amazing and they ate and chatted about the day ahead of them. Towards the end of breakfast Castle's phone buzzed with a text message. He read it quickly, his eyebrows furrowed together briefly before he looked back up at Kate.

"Everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yea. Just Paula. I'll get back to her later."

"Your publicist?"

"Yea. Its no big deal, I'll call her later."

"Alright."

"So, is there anything specific that you want to see?"

"Nope, I'm all yours."

"Hm, I can think of more than one way that I want you to be all mine…"

He teased her as she stood up to take her plate to the kitchen.

"You know I did bring my gun with me Castle." She called playfully over her shoulder.

"Point taken."

She stood at the sink clearing off her plate, even though she knew she didn't need to. She smiled when she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"You do know that I know you'd never shoot me, right?"

He mumbled the words against her neck.

"Hm, I wouldn't be too sure about that Castle. There are still some moments when it would be an effective way to shut you up. Although this," She turned in his arms and kissed him briefly, her tongue slowly tracing his bottom lip as she pulled away, "Is usually pretty effective too. Its not always practical."

She ignored his protest as she pulled out of his embrace and headed towards the bedroom. He followed her, pouting.

"If you want to do anything today, we have to get dressed and leave the hotel."

"Fine. I'm taking a shower. Feel free to join me."

He winked at her before heading to the bathroom. Kate dressed while he showered. She pulled on black jeans and a white, short sleeved shirt and converse chucks. She pulled her hair back in a low ponytail. Rick walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Kate paused for a second; she was used to seeing him in his normal button up shirts and the t-shirt surprised her. It was almost the same shade of blue as his eyes and was snug across his muscular chest and upper arms. He smiled when he caught her staring at him.

"Like what you see?"

She laughed and turned her head away from him as she pretended to be fixing her hair. She had a tendency to forget that over the time they had spent together he had become almost as observant as she was, especially when it came to her. It was annoying sometimes how well he could read her, but at the same time she found it oddly comforting that someone knew so much about her and what she was thinking without her saying a word. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Maybe."

"Uh huh. You ready?"

"Yup."

"Great, then lets go."

They started off the day with Matthew driving them from hotel to hotel in the limo, but they decided it would be easier to just walk. Castle told Matthew to enjoy his day, that they would text him if they needed a ride.

They hit all the major hotels. The white lions at the Mirage, the pirate show at Treasure Island, the statues at Cesar's Palace, the Nile River at the Luxor. He took her to the top of the Stratosphere but couldn't convince her to ride the roller coaster. They stopped by the New York, just for fun, and then headed to Circus Circus. Kate laughed as Rick told her about the amusement park and carnival inside the hotel.

"Sounds like your kind of place."

"Oh, you have no idea. I'm not sure who loved this place more when Alexis was a kid; me or her."

"You I'm sure."

"You're probably right."

They walked though the casino and headed up to the second floor where the carnival games were.

"We are not leaving until I win you a giant stuffed animal, so you might as well pick one now."

"Castle…I don't need a giant stuffed animal."

"I don't care. It is a Vegas tradition and I'm not leaving until you have a giant stuffed animal."

Kate crossed her arms and glared at him. He did the same back, mocking her, which made her dissolve into laughter and she pointed at a black and white stuffed horse hanging from the ceiling.

"That one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes Castle, why?"

"You specifically said you didn't want me getting you a pony."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"A live pony. I don't need the stuffed one either, but if I leave it up to you I'll end up with a giant alien. I'd rather have the pony."

"Alright, then you will have the pony."

They spent and hour and a half playing what seemed like every game on the floor and eventually Castle handed her the giant stuffed horse. Kate shook her head softly as she took it from him. She held it in front of her. It was so big that hugging it to her was the only way to carry it. Its back legs dangled down and hit the middle of her shins.

"Castle…this thing is ridiculously huge and I really don't need it."

"If you don't like it, why are you smiling like a five year old on Christmas morning?"

She buried her face in the horses neck. He was right, part of her thought it was very sweet that he had been so determined to win it for her. No one had ever done anything like that for her before. Other men she had been with had given her gifts, but no one had ever given her something as sweet as a stuffed animal, and they certainly hadn't spent six times what it was worth to win it for her.

"I didn't say that I didn't like it, I said I didn't need it."

"What are you naming it?"

"Naming it?"

"Yes. You have to name it. Well, him. I think it's a boy."

"Are you serious?"

"Would I joke about something like this?"

"No, I suppose not. Alright…umm…he's black and white, how about…Oreo?"

"I'm disappointed in you Kate. Oreo? Really?"

"Well what would you name him then?"

"No, no. No help. You have to name him."

The conversation about what to name the stuffed pony lasted all the way out of the hotel and a good distance down the strip. Every name Kate suggested was too normal for Castle's standards. She had suggested Tuxedo, Panda, Paint and even Spot, just to annoy him.

"I can not believe you are being this picky over me naming a stuffed pony." As she spoke she shifted said pony onto her back, wrapping its front legs around her neck as they walked.

"And I can't believe you are having such a hard time coming up with an original name. Spot? Come on."

"I don't know why you expect me to just pull some amazingly original name out of a hat. Wait…that's it, Presto. I'm naming him Presto whether you like it or not."

"Presto…that is actually okay. I like it."

"Good, because it fits. Its also Latin for Gift. So there."

Castle smiled over at her. Presto was almost as big as she was, which made her look very childlike having him slung over her back. She smiled back at him and he realized that he would do anything to make her smile like that. It was a smile that took up her whole face and made her eyes light up.

"So, now that we've named the huge pony, now what?" She asked as they came to a stop at a corner.

"I thought we'd go back to the hotel and relax for a while before dinner. We can go swimming if you want."

"You just want to see me in a bathing suit Castle."

"Maybe."

They crossed the street and her eyes were drawn to an arch that looked like it was made out of ice in the middle of the sidewalk. As they got closer she realized it was over a stairwell that went underground. From a few feet away she looked down the stairwell and the walls were softly glowing.

"What's down there?" She asked.

"I don't know."

As soon as the words left his mouth she was halfway down the stair case. He shook his head and followed her, wondering if she knew how ridiculous she looked with the huge stuffed pony draped across her back. The glowing underground room turned out to be a frozen margarita bar that was attached to a Game Works arcade. They ordered a blue raspberry margarita to share and walked back up to the strip. They were standing right outside of M&M world.

"Oh, can we go in?"

"Anything you want."

He followed her as she walked though the doors. They walked though all four floors of M&M world marveling at all the M&M things there. They had everything in M&M, even kitchen and bathroom accessories. Kate's favorite part was the color wall where they had over fifty different colored M&Ms all separated in plastic tubes on the wall. Castle grabbed a bag and proceeded to fill it with some of every single color.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just, oh, I don't know, use the rainbow one?"

"Maybe, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun."

Kate laughed and followed him as he put a little bit of every color in the bag, then shook it violently and smiled.

"See? Way more fun that way."

"Of course."

They paid for the M&M's and lazily walked back towards their hotel. They got to the front just as a fountain show was starting. The stood and watched as the fountains danced, ending in their trademark huge spray higher than the hotel itself.

"You know," Kate said softly as they headed to the room "I don't think I'd ever get tired of watching that."

"Me either. I love them. I always have. They are the reason I stayed here in the first place."

"It's a very nice hotel."

"It is, and I love the privacy of having my own entrance."

Kate realized how lucky she was to be experiencing Vegas the way she was. Castle made the way he lived seem so normal that it was sometimes easy to forget that it really wasn't.

"Thank you again for all of this."

He moved over and wrapped his arm around her waist, between her and Presto. He laughed as he pushed the pony out of the way so he could reach her.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you are enjoying yourself."

"I am."

They walked into the room and put Presto in one of the chairs as they sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. Kate slid over next to him and curled against his side as he draped his arm over her shoulders.

"So, what do you have planned for tonight?" She felt him tense slightly.

"About that."

"What's wrong?"

She sat up so she could look at him when he answered her.

"You know how Paula text me earlier?"

"Yes."

"Well, it was to tell me that James Patterson is having a book launch party tonight, and that I should go."

"Okay, so do we have to head home early?" She said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"No…its here, at the Monte Carlo. I don't want to go, I'd much rather spend the evening with you, but…Paula is right for once, I should go. He has been a big supporter of mine."

"Of course you should go. I'll be fine."

"Well…you are more than welcome to come. I just know you aren't comfortable with the press and stuff like that."

Kate sighed and lightly bit her lip. She hated being the center of attention. She hated being in front of the press. It was something she had learned to deal with to an extent in the past few months of being with Castle, but she had never actually gone to a social function with him. It would be an entirely different level of press. She looked up at him and he smiled softly. She knew he would never ask her to go if she didn't want to, but at the same time she knew he wanted her there with him. This was the man who had put his life on the line for her more than once, without being asked, the least she could do was attend a social function with him.

"I'd love to go." She said with a smile. As soon as she said it, she realized she meant it. She didn't want to go for her, but she wanted to go to make him happy.

"Really? You would?"

"Yes, really."

"Thank you Kate."

"Anything for you."

* * *

><p>Author's Note<p>

So, apparently my review alerts aren't working right because I haven't been getting very many of them. I just assumed I had gone too fluffy for you guys, til I looked at the story lol. So if i didn't respond to a review, it's because I didn't get it, please keep leaving them. I know to look at the story page now.

Thanks for reading :D Only a few more chapters of fluff, i'll get to the case, i swear. (4 chapters maybe...not entirely sure)


	7. Chapter 7

They sat on the couch for a few hours, Kate curled against his side, as they watched TV and talked about nothing. Castle loved these moments, when she acted like it was the most normal thing in the world to be curled up next to him watching TV and talking. As much as he loved shadowing her at work and being able to watch her do what she loved, he also loved being part of her world outside of work. The world where she got to be Kate instead of being Detective Beckett. He loved being away from the precinct where she was becoming more and more comfortable just being with him. They had both drifted into silence, lost in their own thoughts. She shifted against him.

"What are you thinking about?"

She asked quietly.

"You. Us."

She moved away from him and sat up so she could look at him.

"What about us?" She asked with a smile, one eyebrow raised.

"How much I like us. The fact that I like that it is becoming easier for you to let us be us. Just being with you."

Her smile softened and she reached for his hand.

"Yea, I like being us too."

He lift her hand and kissed the back of it softly.

"I'm glad. We should get ready for the party. Do you think you can find a dress from the ones last night, or do you want me to have Matthew bring more?"

"No, I'm sure I can manage to pick something from the nine other dresses."

"Just making sure."

She rolled her eyes at him and reluctantly got up off of the couch and headed towards the bedroom. She wandered into the closet and looked though the dresses briefly before choosing the one she had in mind.

It was floor length and black, with a slit up the side that came up to her mid thigh on the right side. It was a halter top and tied behind her neck, the back coming to a V just above the small of her back. Across the back of the dress were strings of black fabric that hung, making it look like the dress had been slashed across the back. There was minimal silver sequins around the neckline, the slit and the bottom of the dress. It was because of the silver that she chose simple, black heels with silver straps running across the top of her foot. The straps on the shoes mimicked the straps across the back of the dress. The dress was tight all the way down to her knees where it flared out slightly before reaching the ground. It wasn't so tight that she couldn't walk, but it hugged her body more than the dress from the night before.

She started to pull her hair up, then changed her mind and left it down. She clipped the necklace Castle had given her the night before around her neck and ran her finger along the path that the diamonds made, his words echoing in her head

_Thank you for the journey Kate. For where we've been, where we are now, and where ever we end up in the future. _

She smiled as she thought of their relationship as a journey. It had definitely been more of one than she had ever had with anyone else, and she was happy with where it was going so far.

She touched up her makeup and headed towards the living room to join him. He was already dressed in his suit and standing by the back of the sofa waiting for her. He smiled broadly as she walked into the room.

"You chose my two favorite dresses; one last night and one tonight. You look absolutely stunning."

She smiled and noticed that his eyes stopped briefly on the necklace before meeting her eyes.

"Thank you, for wearing it."

She stepped closer and leaned up to kiss him.

"Of course." She whispered right before her lips met his. He wrapped his arm around her back, in what was quickly becoming a familiar gesture between them, and pulled her closer. She was surprised to find herself reacting to his hand moving across the bare skin of her back. He noticed and pulled back from the kiss smiling.

"Detective, if I didn't know better, I would say my touch is starting to have an effect on you."

"Hmm, you might just be right Castle." She hummed the words against his neck, between small, soft kisses as she worked her way towards his earlobe.

"Kate…" Her name rumbled deep in his chest and she could feel it more than she heard it. She smiled against the side of his neck before kissing it one more time and pulling away from him. Her eyes met his and she was surprised at the dark passion in them. She held his gaze for a moment and his hand ran up her back, causing her to shiver again, and he smiled. It was then she realized that he was taunting her. She leaned forward and kissed him softly, catching his bottom lip in her teeth before pulling away from his embrace.

"We should get going." She said with a wink as she turned to head towards the door. He followed her, shaking his head and the fact that she always seemed to one up him.

* * *

><p>Kate took a deep breath as the pulled up to the Monte Carlo. It wasn't a huge event, but there were still paparazzi outside and a few other limos pulling up. She saw flashbulbs go off as other people got out of limos. Castle reached over and took her hand.<p>

"You don't have to come. I can get out by myself and Matthew will take you back to the hotel. I won't be upset at all."

"No, I'm coming with you. I want to come with you." She squeezed his hand as she smiled at him. "Just…don't let go?"

He was surprised by the request, coming from her of all people. She had no hesitation chasing an armed murder suspect down a dark alley but she wanted him to hold her hand because of a few cameras.

"I won't."

"Then I'll be fine."

He smiled at her again and squeezed her hand before the door to the limo was opened. He kept his promise and climbed out before her, holding her hand as she stepped out. The minute the door closed behind them the camera's started going off and murmurs of "Nikki Heat" started rustling though the crowd that was gathered outside. Castle pulled her close to his side as they made their way to the hotel. She surprised him by looking up and smiling as their picture was taken.

"Richard Castle, is that Nikki Heat with you tonight?"

The question was called in various forms from different sides and he laughed as they headed up the front steps. A photographer he was familiar with was standing close to the steps.

"Rick! Is that her?"

Castle stopped and smiled at the man. He had been at a few press events and was always respectful about personal space.

"No, this is not Nikki Heat. This is Katherine Beckett."

"Isn't she the one who inspired the Heat books?"

"Yes, but she is not Nikki Heat."

"Your new girlfriend?"

Castle bristled at the use of the word girlfriend, but Kate responded before he could.

"Partner." She said, smiling openly as a few more flashbulbs went off and they disappeared into the hotel. She leaned slightly against Rick as the doors closed behind them.

"You okay?" He asked, his arm looping around her waist.

"Yea, I'm fine. That's just…wow."

"You were brilliant."

"I don't know about that, but thank you."

"No, you were. If you just smile and let them take pictures they leave you alone more than if you hide. And…partner?"

She tilted her head sideways so she could look him in the eyes. It wasn't the moment to delve into the details of their relationship, but she wanted him to know that she meant it.

"Always."

His arm tightened around her waist and he smiled at her as he leaned over and kissed her temple softly. They walked into the hotel's ball room with his arm still around her waist. She didn't normally like such public displays of affection, but in such an unfamiliar situation she found it comforting and found herself leaning against him as they walked. The ballroom was already crowded with people, some Kate recognized, and some she didn't. Castle seemed to know everyone and amazed her by greeting them all by name. Some he introduced her to, other conversations were too brief, but thirty minutes into the night she was completely lost and couldn't have remembered anyone's name if she had tried. They stopped for a minute and Castle grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing caterer. He laughed as he handed her one.

"Over whelmed yet?"

"Just a little. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"This. Remember everyone's names. Act like you've known them for years?"

"Well, I have known most of them for years. The names thing is a little trickier. Some of them I remember because I honestly like them. Others, I try to pick something specific to remember about them, and try to tie their name to that, and others, its just because I have to."

Kate shook her head. She had never seen him in his world, he had always been a part of hers. This was a completely different side of the man she had been getting to know. A more mature side that recognized sometimes things just had to be done, regardless of whether or not you actually wanted to.

"What are you shaking your head at?"

"You. Its…different to see the grown up side of you."

"Geez, first you make fun of me for being a gentleman, then you accuse me of normally being childish, now you're calling me a grown up. I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted."

"Maybe a little bit of both? I've just never seen this part of your world before. It's a very different side of you than at the precinct, that's all."

"You know, I still remember the first time I came to something like this. It was with my publisher, and it was all so overwhelming. Everyone knew my name, since I was the new guy, and my publisher kept whispering names in my ear as people walked up so I would know who they were and have something to say. Even then, sometimes I had no idea who they were. I don't really remember many details of that night, just the constant feeling like I was going to be sick."

Kate raised one eye brow at him.

"You mean the always confident Richard Castle was nervous about something?"

"Oh god yes. I was nervous about it for a week before hand too, it was all very nerve wracking at first. Why do you think I understand why you don't want to come? It has to feel a little bit like that for you too. Everyone knows Nikki Heat is based on you, its almost like they know who you are, only you don't know any of them."

She smiled at him over the rim of her champagne glass as she took a sip. He loved that she was fairly at ease here. He had been worried that she would be uncomfortable the entire time and he would have to talk her into letting him take her back to their motel. He had been pleasantly surprised so far that, aside from seeming a little overwhelmed, she seemed to be having a good time.

"Its not so bad Castle, besides, its kind of fun watching you be the one to do all of the work. Its usually the other way around. Me doing all the work and you just getting in the way."

"Oh, getting in the way. Do you forget how much help I am?"

"Help? Is that what you call what you do?"

He glared at her playfully and was about to respond when someone called his name from behind them.

"Richard Castle! Is that you?"

He turned around to see James Patterson walking towards them from across the room.

"James, hello!" He waved as Kate moved to stand by his side.

"I'm so glad you could make it, I wasn't sure you'd be able to."

"Oh, for you, of course. James, I'd like you to meet Detective Katherine Beckett of the NYPD."

Kate smiled and reached for the famous authors hand as he extended it in greeting.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Patterson, and please, call me Kate."

"It's nice to meet you too, and call me James. So you're the detective that Rick based Nikki Heat on?"

"Yes sir, that would be me."

"Well…its about time he wrote a strong female character as a lead in one of his books. Looks like he has good taste in inspiration too. We've heard all about you at poker night." He finished the statement with a wink at Rick.

"Only good things, I assure you." Rick said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Oh, are you two…" James raised his eyebrows and gestured at the lack of space between the two of them. Rick nodded and Kate blushed.

"Its about time. Do you have any idea how long he's been pining for you?"

Kate choked back a laugh and bit her lip as she smiled and looked sideways at Rick.

"Oh, I have an idea…but…you could always give me details."

"I don't think that's necessary James, but thank you. I'm sure you're busy tonight and have other people you need to talk to?" Castle cut in before James could respond.

"No, not really."

Kate laughed as Rick stumbled over his words.

"Well…I'm sure…there are other people who would love to talk to you. Congratulations on the new book, I'm sure it will be a huge success."

"Thank you for coming, both of you. It was a pleasure to meet you Kate. Hopefully this won't be the last time I see you around."

"The pleasure was mine, and I'm sure I'll be around more. I'll take a rain check on those details of yours."

"Of course."

Kate smiled up at Rick as James walked away.

"What?"

"Pining for me? Really?"

"I wouldn't say I was pining…"

"I don't know Rick, he's an author too, I'm sure he knows what the word means."

Rick huffed at her as he responded.

"Regardless of what word you want to use, my patience paid off, and that's all that matters to me." He finished the statement by squeezing her waist. They mingled with the crowd for another hour, stopping to talk with some people, just having passing conversations with others. As the night passed Kate felt herself become more comfortable being in such a large group of people.

Rick kept his promise and stayed very close, usually touching her, though the entire night. The ballroom was huge and by the time they made their way across the entire thing to the bar, there were quite a few couples on the adjoining dance floor. They stood at the bar for a few minutes watching other couples dance and drinking more champagne. Castle nudged her in the side with his elbow.

"Want to dance?"

"Me?"

"Who else would I be asking?"

"I don't…no, its fine."

"Oh, come on. It will be fun."

He moved in front of her and dramatically held out his hand as the opening chords to Every time we Touch by Cascada started to play.

"Katherine Beckett, may I have this dance?"

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed heavily before putting her hand in his and letting him pull her towards the dance floor. The stepped onto the dance floor and he put his left hand on her hip as she put her on his shoulder, their right hands joined in the classic slow dance position. He smiled at her.

"See, not so bad."

Kate smiled as she remembered the only other time she had danced with him. It had been a completely different setting; in his living room, with her feet on top of his and his daughter watching as they danced to music from beauty and the beast.

"I think I was better at this when my feet were on top of yours."

Castle laughed and pulled her closer to him, both of his hands moving to her waist. She wrapped her arms behind his neck and leaned against his chest, letting him take the lead in the dance.

"You can put your feet on mine if you really want to." He whispered.

"No, I'm good right here."

She smiled against his chest as she listened to the lyrics of the song. It seemed like any time they danced, it was to a song that happened to have some sort of relevance to their relationship at the time.

**Your arms are my castle**

**Your heart is my sky**

**They wipe away tears that I cry**

**The good and the bad times**

**We've been through them all**

**You make me rise when I fall**

The truth in the last lines almost brought tears to her eyes. He had seen her at her best and her worst, and was there, every time, without question. His arms tightened around her, almost as if he could sense her train of thought, and it didn't surprise her. They twirled lazily around the dance floor and when the song ended she kissed him briefly.

"Thank you."

"For making you dance?"

"Yes, and just for being you."

"You're welcome, on both accounts. You ready to go?"

"Only if you are. I don't mind being here."

"I'm glad, but I think we've stayed long enough. Its our last night here, we have to fly home tomorrow, I don't want to spend it dragging you around a social function that you didn't want to come to in the first place."

"Castle…I didn't mind coming."

"You came because you knew I wanted you to, and I thank you for that, but its not a reason to keep you here all night. Besides, I want to spend time with you before we go home."

He squeezed her hand as he led her off the dance floor and they weaved their way back towards the front of the hotel, chatting with a few more people on their way out. By the time they reached the front of the hotel Matthew was waiting for them in the limo. Kate smiled at Rick as he slid into the car next to her.

"That was actually fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

"Nope, this was your surprise trip, where ever you want to take me."

"I was thinking room service at the hotel if that's okay with you?"

"Sounds perfect."

Kate leaned against him as the limo headed back towards their hotel. A night in did sound perfect. As much fun as she had been having, they had done a lot of stuff over the past few days and relaxing really did sound perfect.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Yaaaaaaaaay Fluff! I swear to you, there is a case coming. I pinky promise. I personally like the fluff, but for those of you who don't, I'm going to rip it away soon enough...

The song I refer to here has 2 versions. I am using the slow one. Here is a link (well, as much of a link as it will let me post)

/watch?v=FL0bjwez8mg

if you put youtube . com in front of the / it should work. If you are interested that is.

Review that made my day: **JolieChae13 - **you immensely enjoy my work? Why thank you, I immensely enjoy the fact that you took time to review!


	8. Chapter 8a

They walked into the hotel room and Kate smiled at the sight of Presto still sitting in the chair where they had left him. He really was ridiculously huge.

"I'm gonna go change, I'll be back out in a second."

She turned to head towards the bedroom but felt Castle's arms snake around her waist from behind. She laughed as he pulled her back against his chest and his lips found his way to her neck.

"Hmm…I hate to see you take that dress off." She could feel his breath against her skin as he spoke. She sighed and leaned against him.

"Don't lie Castle, you'd love to see me take it off." His hands moved softly up her sides and her breath caught in her throat.

"You're right, I would love to see you take it off…or…I could just take it off for you."

She swallowed thickly as his hands moved back to her hips and his lips moved softly over her neck as he spoke. His tongue flicked against her ear lobe and he kissed his way back down her neck, his hands lazily trailing up and down her sides as he went. He lightly bit the spot where her neck met her shoulder and a soft moan involuntarily escaped her lips. He chuckled.

"The bathtub should be ready for you, take your time. I'll start dinner."

She was surprised to find herself feeling a sense of longing when he moved away from her and towards the kitchen. She smiled after him then headed towards the bathroom where she peeled herself out of the dress and sank into the bathtub with a happy sigh.

Twenty minutes later she walked out of the bedroom, dressed in shorts and one of Castle's old shirts, to find Castle flopped on the couch with a vast array of Chinese containers spread in front of him on the table.

"So, you got started on dinner huh?"

"Yea, I didn't feel much like cooking and figured you wouldn't mind Chinese."

"I never mind Chinese."

She sat next to him on the couch and grabbed a plate as she started poking thought the containers to find what she liked best. He turned on the TV and found the re run channel that they both loved to watch. Kate tucked her feet up underneath her Indian style and leaned back against the couch to watch TV. They ate and watched TV in companionable silence and Kate found her thoughts drifting back over the weekend. She was surprised at the hint of sadness she felt at the thought that they had to go home the next day. She loved her job and was ready to get back to work, but she realized she had really enjoyed the time off as well. The captain had been right about them all needing the time off, and she hoped Ryan and Esposito felt as rested as she did. She looked sideways at Castle to see what he was doing and found him watching her.

"What?"

"Just wondering what you're thinking about. There is always something going on it that head of yours."

"Just thinking about work." She laughed lightly at the look of concern that crossed over his face. "No, not like that. I was just realizing that the Captain was right to give us the time off, and hoping that the boys are having a good time too."

"Oh, I'm sure they are." She picked up on the hint of playfulness in his voice.

"Castle…what did you do?"

"Nothing really. Just arranged for a nice evening out for the four of them. Well, separately. Ryan and Jenny. Lanie and Esposito. I made reservations at restaurants and had cars pick them up."

"Did they know?"

"They did when they got phone calls from the restaurants yesterday morning informing them of their reservation times."

"Castle…"

"What? You didn't think I was going to whisk you away for a weekend of relaxation and just leave them in the city with nothing to do did you?"

"You didn't have to do any of it…"

"I know that. You mean a lot to me. All of you. It's a small way to show it."

"Thank you."

"Anything for you."

He reached across the couch and gently tugged on the arm of the shirt she was wearing. She let him pull her against his side and was content to curl against his side as she fought off a yawn.

"You want to go to bed?" He asked quietly, his fingers tracing patterns along her hip.

"I don't know that I'll sleep yet, but we can move the TV watching to the bedroom."

They moved to the bedroom and Castle climbed into bed first, leaning against the headboard as she started to crawl into bed next to him. He reached for her hand and pulled her over to him. She shifted so she was straddling his lap on her knees as he kissed her. She pressed herself closer to him, her hands running over his chest as their tongues met, their kiss deepening. His hands moved to her hips, found their way under her shirt, and moved slowly up her back. She sighed as she pulled back from the kiss, her lips moving slowly up his neck as her hands laced together behind his neck. His hands moved down her back and back to her hips, his grip subconsciously tightening as she reached his earlobe.

"Kate…" He warned softly.

"Hm?" She hummed as she took his earlobe between her teeth, tugging softly before kissing his neck again. She was driving him crazy and she knew it.

"Kate." Her name was more of a statement than a question and she smiled.

"What Rick?" She whispered in his ear.

"If you don't…stop…that." She bit his neck softly before continuing to kiss back down towards his shoulder. "I don't know that I'll be able to control myself."

She shifted her position so she could look him in the eyes.

"Who says I want you to?"

A look of surprise flashed across his eyes, but it was quickly replaced with the dark passion she had seen in them earlier in the evening. For a second, a small part of her hesitated. The part of her that was still afraid to take their relationship to the next level, to _this _level. Just as quickly she decided she didn't care. She wanted this. She wanted him. He raised one eyebrow at her questioningly and she smiled as she leaned forward to kiss him. "Go ahead, lose control." she whispered and his lips met hers with a passion that took her breath away.

* * *

><p>This "chapter" is going to be split. The next part is rated M. For those of you who do not want to read it, skip it, and the story works just fine. I am splitting it this way so the people who want to read it can, but those who don't or are uncomfortable can skip it and not miss something.<p> 


	9. Chapter 8b

This Chapter is rated M. If that makes you uncomfortable, please skip it. I have split it for that reason specifically.

* * *

><p>He made quick work of her t-shirt, pausing in their kiss just long enough to pull it over her head. His hands came up to cup her breasts, his thumbs running lightly over her nipples as they kissed. She moaned into his mouth and his hands ran lightly over her ribcage, sending chills down her spine, then trailed down the rest of her body and into the waistband of the shorts. She shifted as he pulled them off, leaving her completely naked on his lap. He pulled back from their kiss and let his eyes wander over her body, which made her blush.<p>

"My god Kate…you are exquisite."

She bit the corner of her lip and laughed nervously. She had been called sexy, gorgeous, hot and numerous other things by men over her life, but never exquisite and never by anyone with the same look on their face. Like she was the only woman on the planet. She was surprised at how comfortable she felt with him and realized it was because she trusted him completely. She ran her hands up his chest underneath his shirt and helped him pull it off. She leaned back and looked down at the muscular chest that he kept hidden beneath his button up shirts and custom made jackets.

"You're not so bad yourself Rick."

He smiled as he leaned forward and took one of her breasts in his mouth, his tongue swirling around her nipple. A soft moan escaped her lips as his hand came up to tease her other nipple. His other hand drifted down her stomach and softly caressed her inner thighs. Her moan turned into a soft whimper in the back of her throat as his fingers danced so softly across her skin she could barely feel him sometimes except for the trail of heat his touch seemed to leave. He smiled against her chest as he kissed up it and up the side of her neck, biting lightly at her pulse point, which drew out another moan. His lips met hers and she kissed him back passionately, their tongues fighting for control as his hands continued to tease her nipples and inner thighs. Her whimper had turned into a low whine that he wasn't entirely sure she knew she was making.

Her hand reached down and grabbed the wrist of his hand that was teasing between her legs as she pulled back from the kiss, breathless.

"Rick…please…" She hissed, her voice low. He smiled and watched her face as she closed her eyes and moaned deep in her throat as he slid his fingers into her. He was surprised when her hips rocked against him as he slid his fingers in and out of her. She gently thrust her hips against his movements and it didn't take long before he felt her clench around his fingers and her whole body tensed as she climaxed quietly. It didn't surprise him that she, being the control freak that she was, was quiet about it and just deepened his resolve to coax as many noises out of her as possible before the night was over. She took a deep, shaky breath before opening her eyes. He smiled at her, which made her blush again and she leaned forward, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Wow." She breathed softly into his ear. He laughed and ran his hands over her back until she relaxed against his chest. She was surprised at how right it felt laying, completely naked against his chest, and wondered what had taken her so long to get to this point with him. A slow smile spread across her face as she realized she had wondered that same thing about so many steps in their relationship.

She put her hands on his chest and pushed her self back, her lips meeting his in a slow, deep kiss. This time it was him that moaned into her mouth as she let her hands wander across his chest and down his stomach, her thumbs catching in the waistband of his boxers. He wrapped his arms around her and shifted their positions so she was laying on the bed and he was moving over her. He let go of her long enough to pull off his boxers, then his hands were back on her.

She whimpered and squirmed underneath him as his hands and mouth moved all over her body. Everywhere except _there_, which was where she wanted him. Her back arched up to meet his hand, then she moaned when his fingers did nothing more than tease her before moving back to her thighs.

"Mmm Rick…." He bit back a groan at the sound of her moaning his name as he swirled his tongue around one nipple, then the other, before moving back up to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss as one of her legs came up and hooked around his hip.

"Kate…" He growled her name against her neck as she pulled back from the kiss. "You're driving me crazy." She shivered as his lips and tongue moved lightly over her skin, his hand still touching her everywhere but where she wanted him to touch.

"I'm driving you crazy? You're the one who- ohhmmm"

Her sentence was replaced by a sharp intake of breath, followed by a moan as he slid his fingers into her again. He groaned as his fingers slid into her. God she was wet.

"Yes. You. Drive. Me. Crazy." Each word was punctuated by a kiss or light bite somewhere along her upper body. She lost the ability to think, let alone speak and she arched her back against his hand and whined when he slid his fingers out of her. He moved over her, his gaze meeting hers, the question of whether or not she was sure about this lingered, unspoken in both of their eyes. She answered him by reaching out and moving her hand behind his neck, pulling him towards her and meeting his lips in a deep kiss as he slid inside of her.

Rick pulled back from the kiss and rested his head against her shoulder as he got used to the feeling of _her_ being around him. She was still for a moment, then shifted her hips underneath him, taking him even deeper and he moaned against her neck as he lost all self control. He started moving in and out of her, slowly at first, until her legs wrapped around his hips and she started moving with him. She matched his pace, their hands and mouths moving over each others bodies as their pace increased. He lightly bit her pulse point and heard the low whine starting in the back of her throat. He could tell by the way she was wrapping herself around him and clenching around him that she was close.

"Go ahead, lose control"

He whispered the words in her ear. Kate was shocked at the effect the words had on her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her nails digging into him as she moaned his name.

"Oh god Rick…" Her second climax as not as quiet as her first; she moaned his name over and over as her body tensed, then shook against him as she let herself go, her hips moving against his on their own accord. Hearing her moan his name and feeling what her body was doing around him was too much and he held her closer as he went over the edge with her, murmuring incoherent things into her hair.

When she came back to her senses he was still on top of her, most of his weight being supported by his arms. What weight he did have leaning on her was comfortable, and in an odd way, made her feel safe. Both of their breathing was still ragged and she kissed the side of his neck. He responded by nuzzling against her neck softly before rolling onto his back, pulling her against him as he went. She smiled and went willingly, curling her body against his side, her leg draped across his and her head resting against his chest. She absent mindedly traced patterns on his chest with her fingers, the way he often did on her back. She thought about saying something, but didn't really feel like anything needed to be said. She sighed happily against him and snuggled deeper into both him and the bed as he wrapped his arm around her.

He felt her drift to sleep a few minutes later. He laid awake, his hand making slow, soft circles on her back as he thought. Sleeping with her had not been his intention in planning the trip, though it had definitely ended up being an added bonus. He had been shocked when she made the first move, he just hoped it wasn't because she felt like she owed it to him. He would never want her to feel that way about their relationship. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He could deal with it if it ever came up. For now, he was content to be holding her as she slept. It didn't take long before he drifted to sleep too, listening to the sound of her breathing.

* * *

><p>Comments are welcome, critique andor flaming is not. Thank you, carry on. ;)


	10. Chapter 8c

Kate woke up to Castle idly making patterns across her stomach with his fingers. Some time during the night they had shifted positions so they were spooning and he had her pulled back against his chest. She giggled as his fingers glanced over a ticklish spot on her ribs.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" He asked softly.

"Mhmm, but it's okay, I don't mind." Her voice was still groggy from sleep and he smiled.

"You can go back to sleep if you're still tired. We have a few hours before we have to leave."

She stretched lazily and smiled at the fact that she could feel all of him against her. She tugged the sheet up around her as she rolled over to face him. He laughed at her modesty.

"You certainly weren't worried about me seeing anything last night."

"Castle…just because you've seen me naked, doesn't mean I'm just going to parade around naked in front of you every time we are alone." She reached out and ran her hand through his hair as she kissed him softly.

"Damn. Well, you can't blame me for trying."

She laughed and shook her head as her eyes met his. She held his gaze for a minute and could tell he had something on his mind.

"What's the matter?" She asked quietly, moving closer so she could wrap her arm around him. He pulled her against his chest.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie. Richard Castle, I've been around you long enough to know the look on your face when there is something you want to say. Out with it."

He sighed and hesitated before answering her. In that moment of hesitation she felt herself start to panic; afraid that he would say the relationship wasn't what he wanted. Now that he had slept with her, he didn't want any kind of commitment. She shoved the thoughts aside. They were her own insecurities and she was trying to use them as a way to push him away. She knew him better than that. She trusted him more than that. His arms tightened around her as he answered.

"Last night…"

"Was amazing." She smiled against him as she answered. He heard the smile in her voice and laughed lightly.

"Yes, last night was amazing. Its just that…you do know that's not why I did this right? It has nothing to do with why I brought you here…"

His sentence trailed off into silence and it took her a second to realize what he was suggesting. That last night had happened because she felt like she owed him something. She pushed herself away from him so she could look him in the eyes.

"Rick…no. I would never think that of you."

She could see the tension leave his body as she answered.

"Okay good, because I would never-"

"Shhh. Rick, I know." She silenced him by holding her finger over his lips.

"Now, I'm going to go take a shower and get ready to go home."

He groaned and pulled her against him as he kissed her. She kissed him back for a minute, content to just be in his arms. He sighed as she pulled back.

"At some point, I have to get up and get dressed. We have to fly home today."

"I know, I know." He grumbled as she climbed out of bed, taking the sheet with her. "Really? You're going to wrap the sheet around you as you walk in there. You live to torment me?"

"Something like that Castle." She said coyly as she let the sheet fall to the floor when she got a few feet from the bathroom door.

"See? I told you you're a tease!" He called after her as she closed the bathroom door.

* * *

><p>After they had both showered and eaten breakfast they walked out to the front of the hotel to watch the fountains one last time before leaving. Castle noticed that there had been a shift in their relationship. They had always been comfortable being physically close to each other, but there was something more carefree in the way she walked next to him, their sides casually brushing against each other as they walked. They stopped at the front of the lake and Kate moved to stand in front of him, automatically leaning against his chest. As his arms went around her waist she realized that this embrace was starting to become a habit between them. He rested his chin on her shoulder and she decided she didn't mind.<p>

"Would it surprise you if I said I didn't want to take you home?"

"Maybe a little bit. But not really."

"I just enjoy seeing you so relaxed."

"I love my job Castle."

"I know you do…I'm just saying…"

She turned in his arms and put her hands on his chest. He let go of her waist and let his hands rest on her hips.

"Thank you for this weekend. I needed it more than I realized and I've had a really good time." Her hand absent mindedly went to her neck where her finger ran over the necklace he had given her. He smiled when she blushed as she realized what she was doing.

"You are very welcome. You did need it. You don't always know when to take care of yourself. You get so wrapped up in the cases and work that you push your own needs aside. That's what I'm here for. I'm glad you agreed to come. I've had a good time too, and I'm not just talking about last night." He winked at her and she slapped him on the chest then turned back to watch as the fountains started dancing. They stood and watched until the show was over and kept standing there until most of the crowd had left, just content to be with each other. After a few minutes, Kate spoke.

"We have to go."

"I know we do."

"Come on Castle, lets go." She said softly, pulling out of his embrace and taking his hand to walk towards the hotel. Instead of walking with her he used her hand to pull her up against him as he leaned down to kiss her. Kate felt herself melt against him and her hands wound lazily around his neck as she kissed him back. He pulled back from the kiss, smiling as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Okay, now we can go."

Kate rolled her eyes at him and they walked towards the hotel hand in hand. When they got back to the room everything was already packed and in the limo, except Presto. He was sitting in the chair where they had left him. They made a quick sweep of the hotel room to make sure everything had been packed, then Kate grabbed Presto and they climbed in the limo. Castle thanked Matthew for the weekend and they were dropped off on the runway where the jet was waiting.

Kate went up the stairs into the jet first, Presto slung over her back and she heard Castle laughing behind her.

"If you are laughing at me with the pony I'll make you sit next to him."

"I don't mind, I think he'd be a quiet travel buddy."

"Seriously Castle, what am I going to do with him?"

"Put him on your bed? Isn't that what girls do with stuffed animals?"

"I suppose he would be fun to cuddle with."

"Hey now, if he's taking my spot in cuddling with you, I will throw him off the plane right now."

"You can learn to share."

Castle made a point of pouting as they walked into the jet. Kate set Presto in his own seat and then sat in the seat across from him. Castle took the seat next to her and reached for her hand. She let him take it and tried to focus on the movement of his thumb across her skin rather than the take off. Once the plane leveled out she let go of his hand. She didn't mind being in the air, but she hated take off and landing. She fidgeted in her seat and Castle smiled at her.

"Go to sleep, the fight is a lot shorter if you're sleeping."

"I'm not really all that tired."

He unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, offering his hand to her.

"Come on, we'll get more comfortable, I'll have you asleep in no time."

Kate rolled her eyes but unbuckled her seatbelt and let him drag her over to the long couch that stretched across the opposite wall of the jet. He sat down first and pulled her down to him. She sat down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. It didn't take long before she was laying down on the couch using his thigh as a pillow. He alternated between softly running his fingers through her hand rubbing her back slowly and she felt herself slowly drifting to sleep.

"Hmm, where did you learn to do this?" She mumbled.

"Do what?"

"Be so relaxing."

"From Alexis mostly I guess. I had to learn how to comfort her and get her back to sleep after bad dreams, or make everything okay after a bad day at school."

She smiled at how much he loved his daughter. She loved seeing them together because the feeling was mutual from Alexis's stand point. The girl loved her father.

Kate sighed and let herself sink deeper into the couch. She felt Castle's arm drape over her waist and she was content to lay there, half asleep , for the rest of the flight.

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><p>Authors Note:<p>

Yup, I had to send them home at some point. ;) Thank you all so much for reading so far. Get comfy, things are about to get long. *passes out popcorn*

Review that made my Day: **sam-ziva** for the Everything is fluffy and nothing hurts comment. God that made me smile. **BlondeOne1013** for suggesting that I tell people to bite me if they don't like the fluff. Again, it amused me. And to anyone who reviews, seriously...they make my day.

Side Note: Could may 2nd take ANY LONGER to get here? That episode is on my birthday and I am so impatient I think I might DIE! Lol.


	11. Chapter 9

Kate had ended up falling asleep sometime during the flight back to New York and woke up to Castle shaking her gently after they had landed. There had been a car waiting on the runway and they were now on their way back to her apartment.

"Are you going to grab clothes for work tomorrow and come stay at my place? Or are you staying at your house tonight?"

Over the course of time they had been together it had become an almost nightly occurrence that one of them stayed at the others house. Kate was pretty sure she had half of her wardrobe at his place.

"I should probably just stay at my place. You've been gone all weekend, I'm sure your family wants to see you."

"Mother isn't home, and Alexis loves when you come over."

"And I want to keep it that way Castle. She is a teenage girl. I don't want her to feel like I'm trying to take you away from her."

"She wouldn't-"

"Rick. Just…trust me."

He huffed at her and pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Proving you wrong Detective."

He put the phone on speaker phone as it started to ring. Alexis picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey pumpkin, we're home."

"Oh good! Did you guys have fun?"

"Yes, we did."

"Are you coming home?"

"Yea, I'm going to drop Beckett off at her house first, then I'll be home."

"Oh…she's not coming over?"

The trace of disappointment in the girls voice tugged at Kate's heart and made the soft spot she had for Alexis get a little big bigger. Castle smiled at her as if to say I told you so.

"No, she's probably going to stay at her place tonight."

"Alright…well tell her I said hello and that I miss her. And she needs to come over soon, we need to do movie night again."

"I will sweetheart, I'll see you soon."

"Bye dad."

Castle ended the call with an 'I told you so' look at Kate. She rolled her eyes.

"See? I told you, she likes it when you come over."

Kate leaned her head back against the seat and sighed. If she was honest with herself she wanted to go to Castle's, she just didn't want them spending too much time together and getting burnt out. Unlike most couples, they spent their entire work day together most days. She smiled when she realized how easy she had thought of them as a couple and reached over to weave her fingers between his on the seat.

He squeezed her hand and they rode the rest of the way to her apartment in silence. When they got there, he carried her bags and she carried Presto on her back. She unlocked the door and drug him to her room to flop him on her bed. She flopped next to him and sighed. Castle laughed when he came in the room and found her half draped across the pony.

"Good to be home?" He asked as he left her bags by the closet and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yes. I had a lot of fun, I really did, but its good to be home."

Castle sighed softly; a noise he didn't mean to make out loud. As much as he wanted her to come back home with him, he didn't want to push her either. The weekend in Vegas with her had gone so much better than he had ever hoped and if she wanted space, then he would give it to her.

"Alright well, I'll leave you to relax then. I'll see you at the precinct tomorrow?"

She pushed her self up so she was sitting next to him on the edge of the bed and looked at him, surprised.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes…I don't want to make you feel like you have to spend time with me. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't want you to come home with me but, I had you to myself all weekend, if you need time alone, I'm going to give it to you."

Kate leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"Rick…its not that I don't want to be with you, I do, its just that…I don't want us to ruin this by spending too much time together."

Rick felt his chest tighten when she said she wanted to spend time with him. She wasn't open about her feelings often and he appreciated it when she was.

"I think it would take more than spending too much time together to ruin this. If you want to come, you are always welcome. If you want to stay here, that is okay too."

He said softly as he kissed the top of her head. Kate didn't say anything, just sat there leaning against him as she wrestled with her emotions. She wanted to just go to his house with him and didn't understand the nagging feeling that was telling her to stay home. She found it odd that she was trying to talk herself into staying home. Finally she weaved her arm though his, linking them at the elbow.

"Come on Castle, lets go."

"You're coming home with me?"

"Yea…after all…I wouldn't want to disappoint Alexis."

* * *

><p>"Dad! I missed you!"<p>

Kate smiled from behind Castle as Alexis flung herself into his arms. She squeezed into the loft behind him and softly closed the door and he hugged his daughter back. Alexis heard the click of the door shutting and opened her eyes, seeing Kate over her dad's shoulder.

"Kate, you decided to come!"

She let go of Castle and hugged Kate with only slightly less enthusiasm. Kate laughed as she wrapped her arms around Alexis, returning the embrace.

"Yes, a little birdie told me you were sad that I wasn't coming over."

"Well yea. I mean, I think you should just move in here, but whatever. Now we can have movie night. Unless you guys are tired?"

Kate and Rick exchanged a brief look over Alexis's head at the mention of Kate moving in. Rick beamed at her and mouthed "I told you so." Kate rolled her eyes and smiled at Alexis as she let go of her.

"Movie night sounds great, you pick the movie."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Alexis headed up stairs to grab a movie from her room and probably very blanket in the house. Kate headed to Rick's bedroom to change as he went to the kitchen to make popcorn. It was a routine they had fallen into well; movie nights were always the same. A light hearted movie, usually Disney, popcorn, Pjs and lots of blankets. Sometimes Rick would make other comfort foods like milkshakes or macaroni and cheese.

By the time Kate came out of the bedroom dressed in what had become her customary pajamas, shorts and one of Castle's t-shirts, Alexis was curled up on the couch in the pile of blankets with a bowl of popcorn on the table in front of her.

"What are we watching?" Kate asked as she took her seat at the other end of the couch. Castle always sat in the middle.

"The Lion King."

"Great, I haven't seen this one in forever."

She settled down into the couch and pulled a blanket over her lap. Castle came out of his bedroom a few minutes later and sat down between them. Alexis leaned against him as the movie started and Kate curled up and leaned against the arm of the couch, her feet tucked against Castle's leg. Halfway though the movie she looked over to find that both Castle and Alexis had fallen asleep leaning on each other. She smiled at how peaceful they looked and thought about how much she lo- cared about them both. She always felt like part of the family when she was at the loft and now was no different, even just watching them sleep she had the most peaceful feeling of just belonging there. She thought about waking them up so they could all go to bed but decided against it. She dropped her head back down on her arm and finished watching the movie. As the credits started to roll Castle woke up. He yawned and looked over at her.

"I fell asleep?" His voice was rough and groggy from sleep.

"Yes, both of you did. I was going to wake you up but you looked so peaceful, I figured I would wait till the movie was over."

"Sorry I fell asleep on you."

"Please, how many times have I fallen asleep on you? I think we're even."

He smiled at her then gently shook Alexis until she woke up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"'s over already?"

"Yup, we both fell asleep on Kate."

"Sorry." Alexis said softly.

"Oh geez, its fine. I'm usually the one to fall asleep." She said, stifling a yawn.

Alexis stood up and leaned down to hug her dad, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She came over to Kate and hugged her and kissed her cheek too, much to Kate's surprise.

"Good night. Love you." She said generically to both of them as she headed up the stairs.

"Good night pumpkin, love you too."

"Night Lex." Kate called after her, not wanting to assume and not entirely comfortable saying I love you back. She stretched as she stood up, dragging her blanket with her to the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Castle called after her.

"To bed."

"You're not even waiting for me?"

"I think you know your way to your own bedroom Castle."

She called out, laughing as she crawled into what had become her side of his bed, pulling the blanket up over her as he appeared in the doorway. He smiled at the sight of her in his bed; it was something he wasn't sure he would ever get used to. He got into bed and lay down facing her.

"Thank you again for this weekend, I had an amazing time." She whispered as she leaned forward and kissed him softly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you had fun."

"Mhmm" She hummed against his chest as she cuddled closer to him. Her breathing shifted to match his, as it often did when they were laying so close, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Authors Note:<p>

GAH! I've been trying to update this since last night but the website wouldn't let me upload it. To those of you who have seen the promo for the finale...O.M.G! Please don't mention it in reviews for people who want to stay spoiler free, but feel free to message me and rant. I AM GOING TO DIE! *ahem*

Review that made my day: manuxinhace - though you didn't leave a review, your messages were both very nice and very inspiring. Just when I think people aren't very into this, I get reviews/messages like yours and it totally makes my day.

To my frequent reviewers (you know who you are, I talk to you thru reviews often) I really look forward to your reviews...much in the same way you want me to update, so please, keep em coming, even if I don't mention you by name every time ;)

To everyone reading, thank you, very much. :D


	12. Chapter 10

Kate groaned as the shrill ringing of her phone woke her up. She slowly peeled her eyelids open and looked at the clock. 5:00am glared back at her in green numbers that were too bright for the rest of the room. A call this early could only mean one thing; a body. She rolled away from Rick and reached for her phone, flipping it open on the last ring before it rolled to voicemail.

"Beckett" She answered groggily. Castle groaned as he reached for her waist, pulling her back against his chest. She went with him, but kept the phone to her ear.

"Welcome home boss." Esposito's voice greeted her.

"Esposito…if there isn't a body there is going to be if you called me this early to welcome me back."

"Oh no, there is a body."

He rattled off an address. Beckett told him they would be there as soon as they could and she hung up.

"Murder never sleeps?" Castle mumbled into her shoulder.

"Nope. You commin?" She asked as she wiggled away from him and got up to get dressed. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"Am I coming? Of course I'm coming. When do I not come?"

"I'm just checking, you don't have to come, it isn't technically your job. I'm going to jump in the shower real quick."

"Want company?" He winked at her as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Twenty minutes later they were both dressed and headed out the door with coffee in travel mugs. Castle had scrawled a note to Alexis and left it on the refrigerator so she wouldn't worry when she woke up.

They rode to the crime scene in comfortable silence, their hands joined on top of the gear shift. As they pulled up they could see Lanie, Esposito and Ryan huddled together talking. Beckett thought it was weird; Lanie was usually with the body. She put the car in park and strode towards the group, catching part of the conversation they were having before they realized she was there. It was Lanie's voice that drifted towards her.

"She was killed by a single stab wound, the rest of the wounds are just cover up."

Kate stopped so abruptly that Castle almost ran into the back of her. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I…um…sorry." She stammered as her mind raced. She took a deep breath and continued walking towards the group. They all looked up when they noticed her.

"Good morning." She called.

"Morning Beckett" They all answered in some form or another.

Castle nodded his greeting to them as they started discussing the scene.

"What do we have?"

A look of concern passed over Lanie's face as she started walking towards the body. Kate shrugged it of as she ducked under the tape to follow her. The body was in an alley, on the other side of a group of trashcans. A chill ran down Kate's spine at the familiar scene and she squared her shoulders, taking another deep breath. She could see the blood before she saw the body and Lanie started speaking.

"The victim is female, late thirties, early forties. Based on body temp, I would say time of death was sometime between seven and midnight last night, but I won't know for sure until I get her back to the lab."

Kate listened to Lanie as she came around the trashcans and saw the body. The scene was gruesome, even for her. The woman was slumped against the brick wall of the building behind her. The pool of blood around her seemed like it was too much to come from one body. A long wound ran from her right shoulder across the front of her body diagonally almost down to her left hip. It was one of the most horrific knife wounds Kate had ever seen; it started as what looked like a stab wound but got deeper and wider the longer it got, almost as if someone had unzipped the woman's flesh. Whatever had made the wound had also torn the fabric of her shirt quite cleanly, so the wound was pretty clearly visible.

"My god Lanie…what makes a cut like that?"

"Not a typical knife, that's for sure. I won't know for sure until I get her on the table, but I think there were two different weapons. The stab in her neck is pretty straight forward and probably the one that killed her. Its smaller than the others, which makes me think there was more than one knife."

"More than one weapon…which means he probably planned this…"

Beckett swallowed hard as her eyes trailed over the rest of the body. There were similar, smaller wounds on the woman's legs and arms and a single, clean stab wound on the left side of her neck. There was a piece of duct tape across her mouth and something was written on it. Beckett slowly crouched down, careful not to step in the pool of blood, so she could read the writing.

_**Please don't take my sunshine away.**_

She furrowed her eyebrows together before standing up. Lines from a children's song? It didn't make any sense. She turned to see Castle, Ryan and Esposito standing towards the victims feet. She didn't meet Castle's eyes, she couldn't. The scene was eerily familiar and she barely had control of her emotions as it was. Memories of her mothers crime scene kept coming up in her mind.

"Do we have a name?" She asked out loud. Ryan hesitated before answering.

"Joanna. Joanna Schroder. Her ID was in her wallet, in her purse. Nothing is missing so no robbery gone wrong."

Kate's mind reeled at the name of the woman. She tried not to show it but she knew from the concerned looks on the faces of her team that they could all tell.

"What else do we know about her?" She forced herself to continue.

"She has a husband, Greg, and a daughter….Kaitlyn. Uniforms are on their way to her house now. She lived on the other side of town."

She nodded tensely.

"Then lets find out what she was doing here. Lets talk to every business within a block of here, see if anyone remembers seeing her last night. Castle and I will head back to the precinct to talk to the family. Call me if you find anything. Lanie, call me as soon as you have anything too."

They all nodded at her and hurried along in their work. Beckett headed towards the car in a fog, not really even aware that Castle was with her until she felt his hand on hers on top of the gearshift. She didn't move her hand but she didn't lace her fingers between his the way she normally did.

Castle mentally sighed. He knew every case reminded her of her mothers, she had told him that she thought of it every time she crossed the tape at a crime scene. He also knew that the fact that this case was so similar, on top of what had just happened with Raglan and Lockwood was going to make this one exceptionally hard. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing seemed right, so he just held her hand until they pulled into the parking lot at the precinct. She turned off the car but didn't get out. He sat quietly while she stared blankly out the windshield and could tell by the look on her face that her mind was racing. After a few minutes, without saying anything, she pulled her hand away from his and got out of the car.

He followed her and didn't say anything until the doors of the elevator slid shut. She was standing next to him, not quite touching and he wrapped his arm around her waist. She tensed but didn't pull away.

"Hey," He said softly, his voice just above a whisper, "Don't forget I'm right here."

"I know." She leaned against him and he fought the urge to hold her tighter. "I'm alright." He wasn't sure if she was talking to him or to herself, but either way he turned and kissed the side of her head softly. She put her hand over his on her waist and squeezed it briefly before letting go as the elevator doors slid open and she strode into the bullpen, all business.

* * *

><p>Authors Note:<p>

As always, thank you for reading :) Now...

I was going to wait until after the finale to post this, but I CAN'T HANDLE THE WAIT and needed something to do with myself. So, I am posting. Reviews are distracting, I welcome them lmao.

I will ask, PLEASE do not post finale spoilers in reviews. I can not stay spoiler free, I do not have the strength, but I respect those that do and ask that you do the same. In case someone is reading reviews before reading the story. Feel free to PM me and discuss/rant/flail about the finale all you want. I have seen/read every spoiler out there ;)

Oh, and *group hug* because lord knows we will need it after tomorrow night.


	13. Chapter 11

There wasn't anything to use to set up the murder board yet. There were no pictures of the crime scene yet, there were no pictures of the victim before the murder, and there were no suspects or anything to base a time line on. Beckett sat at her desk rustling through paperwork that needed to be done, but she wasn't really doing any of it. Joanna's family would be there soon and she would need to talk to them. She could feel Castle watching her from his customary chair next to her desk and was grateful that he was choosing to stay silent.

A few minutes later one of the uniformed officers led a very distraught looking man and girl into one of the conference rooms and nodded towards Beckett as they walked in the door. The girl was clinging to her fathers waist and had her face buried in his shoulder as they walked. Castle saw something flash across Kate's face as she watched them walk into the conference room, but then she closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them it was gone, along with any trace of Kate. She was completely in Detective Beckett mode when she pushed her chair back from her desk, stood up and headed towards the conference room. He followed her quietly.

Castle closed the door behind him quietly as Becket introduced herself to the family sitting on the sofa.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett, I'm so sorry for your loss Mr. Schroder."

She reached for his hand and he shook it limply, his brown eyes dull.

"Call me Greg. This is my daughter, Kaitlyn."

The girls handshake was even limper than her fathers and she didn't bother looking up at Beckett.

"What happened to my wife Detective?" Greg asked, his voice monotone, like he was in shock. Beckett sat in one of the chairs facing him.

"She was murdered. Stabbed in an alley sometime last night." she answered softly and watched as Kaitlyn shrank farther into her dad's shoulder, silently sobbing.

"Why…would anyone want to do that to her?"

"We don't know yet, but we are going to do our best to find out."

"Was she in a lot of pain?"

"We won't know how quickly she died until after the autopsy, but yes, most likely."

Greg's eyes shot up and locked on Beckett's and she saw emotion in them for the first time since she had walked into the room; anger. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced by the dull look of loss.

"Thank you…for your honesty. I just don't understand. Joanna was so caring, who would want to hurt her?"

"We're hoping you can help us figure that out. I know its hard, but would it be okay if we asked you some questions?"

"Yea, sure."

"When was the last time you heard from your wife?"

"Um…yesterday afternoon, maybe around twelve thirty or one? We spoke briefly, just to confirm dinner plans. We were supposed to meet for dinner at eight but she never showed up."

"How long did you wait for her?"

Greg looked down at his daughter who thought for a minute before answering.

"Uh…we left the restaurant around ten, they were getting ready to close." The girls voice was tentative and thick with emotion. Beckett smiled softly at her.

"What restaurant?"

"it's a place by our house called Urban Jungle. They have a little bit of everything. It was one of her favorite places to go." Beckett wrote the name of the restaurant in a notebook as Greg continued talking. "We were supposed to meet her there at eight. When she wasn't there by nine I started calling her. We stayed until ten and then went home. I just assumed she would be there. It wasn't unusual for her to forget dates when work was busy. When she wasn't home, I started to worry. I called the police but they said we had to wait 48 hours to report her missing. I…called her office, we even drove over there, thinking maybe she had fallen asleep on the couch there, only…she wasn't there either. I called everyone I could think of…and then I just sat on the couch until…the officers knocked on the door…"

His sentence trailed off into silence as he looked past Beckett and into empty space. She wrote down notes and gave him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Would it be possible to get the names and numbers of the people you called?"

"Sure."

"What did your wife do for a living?"

"She was an accountant. Her office was about twenty minutes from home. She worked mainly for big companies, but did have a few private clients. She was very dedicated to her work, but wouldn't bring it home with her, which is why she would sometimes fall asleep at the office."

"Was she having any problems with any of her clients recently?"

"No, not that I can think of. Her secretary would know more about that. She didn't like to discuss work at home very much. She said her time at home was for her family…"

Greg didn't try to stop the tears that rolled down his face as he thought about his wife. Beckett slid a box of tissues across the table to him and quietly continued to ask questions. She knew now was the best time to ask, before time, grief and anger got in the way of accurate memories. Kaitlyn shifted on the couch next to her dad and reached for a tissue.

"Kaitlyn, do you remember anything different going on in the past few weeks?"

The girl shook her head slowly back and forth before speaking.

"No. I hadn't seen her very much recently. We were always home at different times between my classes and her working."

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Beckett felt like she had been punched in the stomach and she tried not to let the emotion register on her face. Her mouth went dry and for a moment she met Kaitlyn's eyes and saw herself reflected in them. She swallowed hard and continued with the questioning.

"So if both her office and the restaurant were close to home, do either one of you have any idea why she would have been on the other side of town?"

They both shook their heads no.

"She was kind of a home body and kept close to the house. I don't have any idea what she would have been doing over there."

Beckett nodded and made a few more notes.

"Is there anything else you can think of? Anything at all, no matter how small it seems, could be a clue. Had there been anything different going on in her life? Meeting up with old friends? New friends? Old or new clients? Anything?"

"Nothing in her personal life, her secretary would know more about her clients, like I said, she didn't bring work home with her."

Beckett nodded and took down the secretary's name and phone number. She noticed Kaitlyn had stopped crying so much and was fidgeting with her fingernails.

"Kaitlyn? Is there something you want to say?"

"I…when we were at dinner…I told my dad I was going to the bathroom. I really went to call my mom…I left her a nasty message about always putting work first and forgetting about us again…and…I wish…that was the last thing…"

Her sentence got lost in the sobbing and Kate's heart broke for her. The girl folded her arms across her stomach as her dad rubbed a comforting hand over her back.

"Kaitlyn…what time was that?"

"R-right before we l-left. I g-guess around n-nine thirty maybe…"

"Shhh, don't worry about it. Your mom never got that message. The last activity on her phone was earlier in the day. She never heard it."

"She didn't?"

"No, she didn't."

Kaitlyn sank back against the couch and it looked like her entire body deflated as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered softly. Kate wasn't sure if it was direct at her, or just a higher being, so she didn't respond.

"Detective, if you don't have any more questions I'd like to get my daughter home."

"Of course, I'll just need to you to leave a list of the names and numbers of the people you called when you were asking about Joanna's whereabouts. The officers will get it from you on your way out."

Beckett stood and walked them to the door of the conference room.

"Please call me if you need anything."

"Thank you Detective." Greg politely shook her hand and walked out of the room. Kaitlyn turned towards Beckett, her hazel eyes still red and puffy from tears. She tentatively put a hand on Beckett's arm.

"Please…find out what happened to my mom."

Beckett hesitated, then put her hand over Kaitlyn's.

"I will, I promise."

The girl smiled weakly at her and followed her father out into the bullpen. Beckett watched them go, then slowly closed the door. She startled slightly at the sound of Castle's voice.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him, her mind still whirling over the questions she had asked, already trying to piece things together and create a time line.

"I said are you okay?"

"Oh, yea, I'm fine."

She walked back over to the table and sat in one of the chairs to look over her notes. She heard Castle get up from his chair and move over to hers, sitting on the arm and reading over her shoulder. A few minutes later she felt his hand rest softly against her lower back.

"That was nice, what you said about the messages."

"It's probably true."

"I know, but you don't know for sure yet, and you said it anyway."

"I couldn't let her think that the last thing her mom heard from her was a nasty message left in a moment of anger."

"I know, and it was nice of you."

"Hmm." She made the noise in the back of her throat and allowed herself to lean into his touch for a minute before shoving her notes into her folder and heading out to the bullpen.

* * *

><p>A few hours later Kate leaned against a table, arms crossed, staring at the murder board. She had started the time line at one pm, the time of her last phone call to her husband. It matched records from her cell phone, which they had just received. The only other calls had been made at four and five, but they were both to clients and had gone to voicemail. She had Lanie's estimated time of death window up there, along with Kaitlyn and Greg's dinner times. There was a picture of Joanna at the top of the board. Kate knew she didn't have anything to go on until she heard from Lanie, Ryan and Esposito, but staring at the board as they way she did her best thinking. The sound of her cell phone ringing snapped her out of her train of thought.<p>

"Beckett"

"We've got something. Uniforms found her car, about a block from the alley." It was Ryan.

"We're on our way."

Beckett snapped her phone shut and was already on her way to the elevators.

"They found her car, a block away from the murder scene."

Castle had fallen into step next to her and she filled him in on where they were headed.

They arrived at the car just as the locksmith had gotten the door open.

"They were writing her a ticket since its been parked here since yesterday. They ran the plates, saw the APB and called us." Esposito filled her in as they walked up to the car.

"We spoke with all the businesses in the block surrounding the alley. No one remembers seeing her, but there were a few places that had a different group of people on shift last night. We left them her picture and will check back with them later in the day." Ryan finished.

Beckett nodded, listening as she pulled on gloves to search the car.

"Any sign of it being tampered with?

"No, none. The door was still locked, no broken glass or signs that someone tried to break in."

"Her keys are probably in her purse." Castle added.

"They might be, but that is back at the precinct." Beckett responded without looking at him, she was leaning in the drivers side of the car. Esposito was opening the passenger side door and looking through the glove box.

"Nothing here. Registration, insurance, first aide kid." He rattled off the contents as he rummaged through them.

"Nothing much here either." Beckett muttered as she rummaged though the middle console. "Car charger for her phone, makeup bag, napkins, paper, pens." She sighed as she put the things back where they belonged. Castle had been looking in the backseat but came up empty handed. Beckett ran her hand along the dashboard and pulled a business card from the crevice at the bottom of the windshield.

"End Note…looks like a second hand music supply store? The address is two blocks from here." She passed the card across the car to Esposito who glanced at the address then handed it to Ryan, who had come up empty when checking the trunk.

"Yea, we didn't go this far."

Beckett was about to respond when she got a phone call from Lanie telling them to come to the morgue. She closed her phone as they closed the car doors.

"That was Lanie, she wants us back at the morgue. Ryan, Esposito, can you guys go to End Note, find out if she was there last night?"

"We're on it."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Review that made my day: phnxgrl - I love that you loved everything ;) Your enthusiasm made me smile.

So...updates on this one might be kind of slow. You see...a story based on the finale has kind of taken over my mind. I've never written two at once, so I will most likely jump back and forth. Don't worry, I won't forget this one. I just might update as fast as I normally do. For those of you interested and not on author alerts, the new one is called More than our Mistakes.

And for the finale...BUCKET FOR MY SOBS! That is all I will say here, as I realize there are still a few straglers that haven't gotten to see it yet. Heartbreaking, beautifully done. Story telling at its absolute best and a performace from Stana Katic that will forever give me chills. Settle in for a long summer fandom...stick me on author alerts if you want. I have a LONG one shot project planned to keep myself busy ;)

As always, thank you for reading. I haven't been able to indivdually reply to reviews as much recently. I've been places where I don't have internet, that and...i'm not gonna lie, the finale pretty much shut down my brain for a few days. But i'm back, I have read them, and I thank you all, very much!


	14. Chapter 12

"Took you long enough." Lanie said impatiently as Beckett and Castle walked though the double doors into the morgue. Joanna Schroder's body was laid out on the first table, mostly covered with a sheet. Lanie held her folder in her arms.

"We were looking through her car when you called." Castle answered as Beckett's gaze was drawn to the body. Lanie quickly met his eyes behind Beckett's back and raised her eyebrows. Castle softly shook his head no and Lanie frowned.

"So, what do you have?"

"Quite a bit actually. It was the stab wound in her neck that killed her. The blade was about four inches long. There is some bruising around the wound, which means…he stabbed with enough force that the wound is deeper than the actual blade itself." Kate closed her eyes briefly as she gripped the edge of the table. It was like reliving her own nightmare. She felt Castle move closer to her and she opened her eyes. She smiled softly at the look of concern on Lanie's face.

"What else?"

"Well, like I said, there was more than one knife. The stab wound on her neck was made by a pretty standard knife. The others I'm pretty sure were made by a knife with a curved blade, that is why they are so deep and wide. The blade cuts, then continues ripping as it goes deeper. I would say a karambit."

"A what?" Castle asked quietly as Kate just took in the information. Lanie opened a folder and handed him a picture. Castle flinched before handing the picture to Kate. The blade was one of the most vicious looking things he had ever seen. It was a curved blade, closely resembling the claw of a big cat or a velociraptor. At the top of the handle was an open ring. Lanie continued with her explanation.

"A karambit. It is a knife with a curved blade. They were originally developed in Java, part of Indonesia, as a farming tool but they are now used in street fighting. The ring at the top of the handle is for your finger, and the knife is held so it comes out the bottom of your fist. They are usually used in a slashing motion, and leave huge, painful, deep wounds, as you can see."

Castle swallowed thickly and turned away from Joanna's body for a minute to compose his thoughts. Flashes of the body at the scene were coming back to him and he shook his head to clear them.

"So two murder weapons…this had to be planned. She wasn't a random target." Kate mumbled to herself.

"There is the duct tape too…and the lyrics…" Castle said quietly.

"Right, the duct tape. It was put there before she died. I swabbed the front of it and her tears are there, which means she was crying at some point after it was put on her mouth. The writing is pretty neat, so I would guess that it was written on before it was put on her mouth. No prints on it or on her face around it. I'm guessing the killer wore gloves."

"So…the duct tape was put there before she was killed…was she killed at the scene?"

"Yes, with the amount of blood that was there, and no trail leading up to it, I would say she was killed there."

"Anything else?"

"No defensive wounds, so I'm going to guess he surprised her and got a hold of her before she could fight back. She wore acrylic nails, but one of them had broken off. It wasn't at the scene, but the nail underneath was rough, and there were some blue fibers attached to one of the corners. They are blue flannel, possibly from a shirt. Maybe she tried to push or grab at the killer."

"Time of death?" Kate sighed.

"I narrowed it down to between seven and eight."

"Alright…thank you Lanie. Call if there is anything else?"

"Of course. Beckett, can I talk to you for a minute?" She said with a glance in Castle's direction. Castle took the hint and headed out of the morgue and back to the bullpen. As soon as the doors shut behind him Lanie turned to Kate.

"Are you doing okay?"

"Yes Lanie, I'm fine."

"Don't you lie to me Kate, everyone can see how closely this resembles your mom's case, and after the case we just had…no one would blame you for being upset by it."

"Yes, I'm upset by it, but I'm fine, really."

Lanie raised one eyebrow at her friend. She knew Kate felt like she had to deal with everything on her own because there was no one strong enough for her to lean on. She was afraid if she started to lean on someone that they wouldn't be there when she needed them the most, so she had learned to just shoulder everything herself. Lanie also knew that it got to her more than she let on.

"Alright, but just know that you have people to lean on if you need us. Especially that man up there that is completely crazy about you Kate. Don't push him away. Let him be there for you."

Kate tilted her head slightly at Lanie. She wasn't surprised at her friends insight; they knew each other fairly well.

"Thanks Lanie. I'll be okay."

She smiled at her friend again before turning to leave the morgue and head back to the bull pen. She was surprised when she found Castle leaning against a desk, staring at the murder board, rather than in his customary chair next to her desk. He didn't notice her come in, so she stood back and watched him for a minute. He was resting against the desk, half sitting on it, gripping the edge with both hands as his bright blue eyes wandered over the murder board. He seemed to have a patterned way of looking at it; left to right like reading a book. She usually just stared blankly at the thing as a whole and waited for pieces to fall into place. She could almost see his mind spinning different stories as he looked over the time line.

A slow smile crept onto her face as she watched and realized how different their methods were and how that difference had made the biggest impact on solving cases before. He thought of things in ways that she didn't, and vice versa. The determination on his face brought butterflies to her stomach. She had only seen that much determination on his face regarding one other case; her mothers, and she knew he was worried at how much this case was going to get to her. She could feel herself pushing him away earlier, and knew it would probably happen again before the case was closed, so she tried to remind herself to make a conscious effort not to.

"Hey you." She said softly as she walked over and leaned against the desk next to him.

"Hey."

He responded without looking at her. She walked up to the board and added the time of death as well as a picture of the karambit knife Lanie had given them. She scrawled in some of the other information Lanie had given them along with a picture of the duct tape and the blue fibers. When she was done she moved back next to Castle. They sat close to each other, their shoulders barely touching. After a few minutes Kate leaned into him and sighed quietly. Castle was shocked at the movement but was thrilled that she was leaning on him. He slid his hand over hers on the desk between them and she turned her palm over and weaved her fingers between his, squeezing his hand softly.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

"Mhmm."

He knew she was lying but didn't push it. They sat that way for a few more minutes, both of them still staring at the murder board. Usually Beckett didn't like displays of affection at the precinct, but right now she didn't care. Everyone knew her and Castle were together anyhow, and she needed the moment of comfort that he provided when she let him. She shifted slightly closer to him, her whole side pressed against his, their hands still linked together, resting on the table between them. He turned his head and brushed a soft kiss against her temple as Esposito and Ryan walked into the room behind them.

"So we talked to the owner of End Note," Esposito started as they walked towards the murder board, skipping his normal joke about interrupting Castle and Beckett. He knew if Beckett was upset enough to actually lean on Castle at work, then she wasn't in the mood for jokes. Beckett sat up and let go of Castle's hand as Esposito and Ryan came to stand in front of them. "He says he saw Joanna last night right around seven. He remembered her specifically because she came in right before closing."

"Was anyone with her?" Beckett asked as she moved to the murder board to add the time to the timeline.

"No, she was alone. And no one came in right before her, or after her. He literally walked to the door with her and locked it behind her." Ryan continued. "She was there shopping for a clarinet. A fairly expensive clarinet too. The shop owner said the ones she was looking at were priced between a thousand and fifteen hundred. Buffet was the brand name."

"Do we have the shop owners name?"

"Kenny Mays."

"And she left his shop at seven?"

"Between seven and seven ten. He wasn't sure exactly, just that she had walked in about five minutes before closing."

Beckett blew out an impatient breath between her lips as she scrawled the information, including Kenny's name, next to the time line.

"Alright. There is a list of people the husband called when he was looking for Joanna the night she was killed. Can you guys start calling those people? Make sure the calls he claims to have made were actually made. See if any of them have anything interesting to say?"

Ryan and Esposito nodded and headed towards their desks to get to work. Beckett glanced at the murder board one more time before heading to her desk. Castle lingered for a minute, then followed her, sitting in his chair next to her desk.

"You think the husband could have done it?"

"I think anyone could have done it until evidence proves otherwise. You know how I work Castle." She said, absentmindedly as she flipped though papers in the case file until she found what she was looking for; Joanna's office address. She scribbled the address and phone number on a piece of paper and stood up from her desk.

"Road trip Castle?"

"Sure. Where are we off to?"

"To talk to Joanna's assistant, and anyone else in her office."

Castle nodded as he followed her to the elevator. The doors slide shut and he glanced sideways at Beckett as he fought the urge to wrap his arms around her. She stood farther away from him than normal, lost in her own thoughts as she ran her hand though her hair. He could tell by the way her moods were shifting that this case was already starting to get to her. He knew she was fighting with herself to not push him away the way she had done during the last case, and he appreciated the effort. It made him even more thankful that he had taken her to Vegas and had given her a brief break between cases. He had no idea this case would come along from no where and be so similar to her mothers, but now that it was here he just hoped, for her sake, that they solved it quickly.

Kate bit the corner of her lip and closed her eyes briefly. She hadn't had a chance to really let the details of the case hit her yet and she was working hard to keep them at bay for now. She needed to focus on the case in front of her rather than the painful memories it kept dragging up. She knew Castle was there for her, but she was so afraid that if she leaned on him she would lose control and not be able to get it back. The elevator doors slid open and she walked towards the car without waiting for Castle. She knew he would be there, he always was.

* * *

><p>Authors Note:<p>

UGH! The review reply link in my emails isn't working, so that is why you haven't been getting a response to reviews. Its really bugging me, I usually respond to them. But I am reading them, and I do appreciate them!

**Review that made my day: CaramelMonkey:** Really? Both stories in one night? Wow. It always amazes me when people are sucked in enough by my writing to read one story in one go, but both of them? I'm flattered. Really. And attending Castle's poker night would be awesome, as long as he isn't mean to me like he was Alex Conrad ;) Lol.

All mistakes in this are mine and mine alone. I did some google research for the karambit, which included looking at some wounds so I could describe them, and watching a video on youtube to better understand the thing. I don't recommend the pictures...not of the wounds...talk about something that will never leave me *shivers* But...I can't write what I haven't seen, so anyhow.

The knife itself is just scary looking and fit the bill perfectly when I was looking for a weapon for this story. I needed something with a bit of a "signature" to it, and here we are.

If you are interested, google karambit knife and it will show pictures of the knife itself, nothing graphic. I had never seen one before and was quite intrigued.

As always, even though I haven't been able to respond to reviews, THANK YOU for reading.


	15. Chapter 13

"Zoe Hanner?" Beckett asked as she flashed her badge to the woman at the front desk who slowly nodded her head yes. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett, this is Richard Castle. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Joanna Schroeder."

"Of course, come this way."

The woman got up and escorted them to a small conference room and closed the door behind them. Beckett and Castle sat on one side of the table and Zoe sat across from them, her hands folded on the table in front of her. Castle moved in his chair so his knee was touching Kate's. He felt her tense at the contact but she didn't move away from it.

"Miss Hanner." Beckett began.

"Please, call me Zoe."

"Alright, Zoe. Had you noticed anything strange about Joanna recently?"

"No, the only thing out of the ordinary was that she had been missing work, but she was looking for a birthday present for her daughter. She plays clarinet, she's been playing since she was five and Joanna wanted to get her a really nice one for her birthday, but they are expensive. She had been leaving work tracking down used ones at second hand stores. Other than that, nothing has been unusual."

"Did she have any new clients? Or old clients who had called and recently been unhappy with her?"

"No, none. She was booked and wasn't taking on any new clients. She hasn't been for months."

"Was anyone upset about being turned away?"

"Not that I ever heard of, and I take almost all of her calls."

"Did Joanna leave work early yesterday?"

"Yes, she did. She left here around two o clock."

Beckett and Castle looked at each other.

"Two o clock? What did she do between two and seven?" Castle muttered out loud.

"Two o clock…she would have been over near end note by two thirty, three at the latest. What did she do for four hours?" Beckett thought for a minute and then turned back to Zoe.

"Do you have any idea where she was going when she left?"

"No, none."

"Does she have an appointment book or a calendar we can see?"

"Sure, she has a calendar on her desk and she also has one on her computer. I'll take you to her office."

Beckett and Castle followed Zoe down a short hallway and into Joanna's office. Pictures of her and Kaitlyn sat in frames on her desk and various school pictures of the girl hung on the walls. Zoe quickly logged them on to Joanna's computer then moved so Beckett could look at the calendar. Beckett sat in the chair and glanced over the calendar on the desk. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was no note of leaving early the day she was killed, but nothing different either. She scrolled through the calendar on the computer, comparing the appointments. Everything matched until she came to the day she was killed.

"Four p.m. Mark Z. I don't see that anywhere on her written calendar. Any idea who that is?" Beckett asked Zoe.

"No…She doesn't have a client named Mark. I've never heard her mention anyone named Mark…I'm sorry."

Beckett nodded and studied Zoe's face for a moment before turning back to the computer screen. She took a few minutes to scroll through the month prior to Joanna's death and found nothing about a Mark Z. She flipped thought the hand written calendar as well and also found nothing.

"Do you have any idea where she had been going to look at these clarinets? Or how she was finding them?"

"No, I don't. I'm going to guess she found them online, but I have no idea where she had been going. I'm sorry, I wish I could be more help."

"It's okay. Thank you for your time Zoe, here is my number. Please call me if you think of anything. Anything at all."

Beckett handed Zoe her card as she stood up from Joanna's desk and made her way towards the office door. Zoe took the card and nodded as she walked out with them.

"Yes, of course."

Castle followed Beckett quietly to the car where she got in and stared blankly out the windshield, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel.

"Do you think she is lying about something?" He asked quietly.

"No, she didn't seem to be. Joanna's husband said she kept her work and home lives pretty separate, if that is the case, Zoe probably doesn't know much. Its just…she left work at two but wasn't at End Note until seven. Where did she go at four? And who is Mark Z?"

"Maybe…she went to see someone about another clarinet?"

"Are there more second hand music stores in that same area?"

Castle already had his phone out and was scrolling around on the screen.

"Not that I know of, but there is more one way to sell a used instrument than at a second hand store."

"Castle…what are you doing?"

"Looking up used clarinets on Craigslist…. But no Mark Z." He huffed and put his phone down. Beckett smiled softly at him.

"Not a bad idea though Castle, I'll have the guys check into it more when we get back to the precinct."

* * *

><p>A few hours later they were back to staring at the timeline on the murder board. Ryan and Esposito had spent a few hours looking up used Clarinets for sale in the area and calling people to see if any of them had been contact by Joanna. No one they had spoken with had ever heard of Joanna, and there had been no Mark Z. Aside from adding the time Joanna had left work and the time of her appointment with the mysterious Mark, they had made no progress. It was starting to irritate Beckett and Castle could tell.<p>

Ryan and Esposito stood up and walked towards the break room for coffee and Castle looked over at Beckett. She was sitting at her desk, her left elbow resting on the desk, her head leaning into the palm of her left hand and her fingers fisted in her hair. Her right hand held a pen, which she randomly tapped against the desk as she read her notes on the case for what must have been the hundredth time that day. Occasionally she would glance over at the murder board, but for the most part she read and re read her notes.

Castle stood up from the chair he had been sitting in at Ryan and Esposito's desks and walked across the bullpen towards her. She didn't notice and he walked up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. She immediately tensed at the contact and he squeezed her shoulders softly as he pulled her back towards him. She resisted at first, then sighed and leaned back against him.

"Time to call it a night?" He asked quietly as he massaged her shoulders and neck.

"Hmm. I don't know Castle…"

"Come on, its been a long day Beckett. Let's go home, my place or yours, I'll make you dinner and we can fall asleep watching old reruns."

"Castle…I kind of want to just be alone tonight…"

His shoulders drooped and he sighed. He had been afraid she was going to do this.

"Kate…I don't think you should…you don't have to do this alone anymore."

Kate sighed as he kept rubbing her shoulders. She knew it would be an argument with him. A big part of her wanted to just go home and let the emotions of the day take over where she could crawl into bed and hide under the covers until morning. Another part of her didn't like the thought of waking up in the middle of the night alone after the nightmares that she was pretty sure would haunt her sleep tonight. She also recognized that she was pushing Rick away, and reminded herself that she was going to try not to do that.

"My place then?" She offered quietly. As much as she loved Alexis and Martha, she didn't want to be around them tonight.

"Deal." he answered and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Why don't you go to your place, grab your stuff, and meet me back at my place? I'll wrap stuff up here." She suggested, hoping he would go with it and at least give her a little big of time alone. He huffed and she could tell he was about to argue with her and was surprised when he didn't.

"Alright fine, but you have to promise you'll leave here."

"I will, I swear, I'm right behind you."

He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her as he kissed the side of her neck. She sighed softly and leaned into his embrace for a second before he stood up and let go of her.

"I'll see you soon."

"Yep."

She smiled as he headed towards the elevator. Ryan and Esposito came walking back into the bullpen as the elevator doors slid shut behind Castle. They looked at Beckett in confusion.

"Where did he go?"

"Home."

"Without you?"

"Yes, we can function separately you know."

Ryan and Esposito both just looked at her and raised their eyebrows. She scowled at them as she flipped the folder on her desk closed and stood to leave.

"Anyways, I'm headed home for the night. I'll see you two tomorrow."

They nodded goodbye at her and watched as she got into the elevator. As soon as the doors slid shut they turned to each other.

"You think she's okay?" Ryan asked.

"I'd bet money Castle is meeting her at her place. He wouldn't leave her alone after today."

"True. Do you think this has anything to do with her moms case?"

"I don't know bro, but for her sake I hope it doesn't."

* * *

><p>Authors Note: Sorry it has been so long since I've updated this one. More than our Mistakes has been the louder "voice" between the 2 stories in my head. I still have that one shot thing I want to work on too...but I don't want to get too much going at once, so it will wait.<p>

Anyhow, as always. Thank you for reading :-D


	16. Chapter 14

Kate sighed as she closed the door to her apartment behind her. She leaned against the inside of the door for a minute and just listened to the quiet. It was the first time she had been alone in a long time and she missed the solitude of her own thoughts. She stepped out of her heels and headed to her bedroom. She put her gun and badge in her nightstand drawer and sat on the edge of her bed. She ran both of her hands over her face and back through her hair as the memories and emotions from the day came crashing over her like waves.

The case was so similar to her mothers, right down to the woman's name. Memories of her mothers crime scene flashed across her mind and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She glanced at her watch and realized she probably had about a half an hour until Castle showed up.

She went in the bathroom and shrugged out of her clothes as she turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it. She waited until the steam was rolling out of the shower curtain before she stepped in. She flinched as the hot water hit her shoulders then relaxed as she got used to the temperature. She tilted her head back and let the water hit her forehead and run through her hair. It effectively drown out any other noise, which was the distraction she was looking for. She lazily shampooed her hair then tilted her head back and let the water drown out everything again as it rinsed the suds from her hair. She finished showering and reluctantly turned off the water. The shower was where she usually broke down and cried, but this time she wasn't sure she would be able to stop if she got started, and she didn't really want to go there with Castle.

She stepped out of the shower, dried off and pulled on her pajamas. She laughed as she realized that even at her place, her pajamas had become shorts and one of Castle's t-shirts. When had he so seamlessly taken over her apartment too? She laughed again as she walked out to the bedroom and saw Presto laying on her bed. He was huge and easily took up almost half of her bed. She crawled into bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, draping one of her legs over him as she flipped on the TV. Castle had his own key and she just wanted to be comfortable. Her phone buzzed on her nightstand a few minutes later.

_**I'm on my way**_

She smiled at the memory of the one time he had come over without letting her know he was on the way. Even though he had a key, she had reached for her gun the moment she heard the door open and he had been met at her bedroom door with the barrel of her gun at his face. It had scared both of them, admittedly him more than her, and he always made sure he text her before coming over.

She set her phone back down and aimlessly flipped though channels on the TV. Nothing captured her attention as much as the things running though her head. No matter what she tried to watch, imagines of the crime scenes; both the new one and her mothers, kept playing in her mind like a movie. She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that were threatening to escape and buried her face in Presto's neck. A few minutes later she was laughing at herself for crying into a stuffed animal like she was 10. She looked at the pony and couldn't help but smile at the memories of Vegas, which already seemed so long ago.

A few minutes later she heard the door open, then click shut and the deadbolt lock.

"Don't shoot." Castle called.

"That all depends on what you brought to eat."

"Chinese?" He called hesitantly, his voice closer to the bedroom door.

"Alright, you're safe."

He smiled as he pushed open her bedroom door. His smile grew wider as he saw her laying draped across Presto. She noticed and scowled at him.

"Not a word Castle."

"What?"

"Not a word about me laying her cuddling with the huge pony."

"I would never….you're cute."

"Ugh. Give me that." She scoffed, sitting up Indian style and reaching for one of the bags. She scooted Presto over to one corner of the bed, making room for Castle.

"Oh, good to know I still get my own spot on the bed. At least he hasn't taken my place completely."

"It won't be long, he's quiet and never pouts."

She smirked at his pouty face as he sat down on the bed across from her and tucked his legs under him as he handed her chopsticks. He was glad to see her mood lighter than it had been at the precinct. They ate in comfortable silence. Castle took the remote and found the rerun channel that they usually watched when they wanted mindless entertainment. Beckett turned so she was leaning back against the pillows on the headboard as she ate, and Castle did the same. Presto was wedged between them and they both used him as an arm rest. When they finished eating Castle took the containers to the kitchen then took a quick shower.

He walked back into the bedroom wearing only sweatpants to find Beckett curled up on her side hugging Presto. He climbed into bed quietly only to find that she wasn't asleep.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hm." She responded with a noise in the back of her throat. He sighed softly as he put his hand over hers on Presto's back. She blinked and half smiled at him.

"You alright?"

"Mhmm, just tired."

He scowled at her and tugged on her hand, encouraging her to move closer to him. She shook her head softly.

"Good night Castle." She whispered as she closed her eyes. He shifted slightly closer to her and ran his hand softly up and down her arm, his fingers making soft patterns on her skin. She knew her resolve was crumbling as she felt herself relax at his touch. She sighed heavily as she moved Presto to the floor on the other side of her and let Castle pull her against him. She curled against him, her arms against his chest as he rested his chin on top of her head. He rested one hand on her hip and the other arm wrapped around her as he ran his hand up and down her back. She swallowed hard as she felt her whole body finally relax against his. A small part of her mind was annoyed that he had that effect on her so quickly, but most of her was just glad he was there.

"Rick…" Her voice was shaky and hesitant.

"Shh, I know. I"ll wake you up, I promise." She smiled against his skin and kissed his neck softly. It always amazed her just how well he knew her. He tightened his arm around her as she kissed his neck and his thumb ran lightly over her hip.

"Thank you." He muttered into her hair.

"For what?"

"Letting me come over. Not pushing me away. I want to be here for you."

"I know you do."

"So thank you…for letting me."

She didn't trust herself to speak so she responded by pressing herself even closer to him and closing her eyes. It took her a while, but eventually she drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later she woke up with a gasp.

"Kate."

The voice calling her name was quiet, but familiar. She started to panic at the fact that she couldn't move. Something was holding her in place.

"Kate! Hey….you're okay."

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and the darkness of her bedroom came into focus. She slowly realized that she couldn't move because Castle was holding her against him; her back against his chest. Her breath caught in her chest a few times before she was able to speak.

"S-sorry." She muttered.

"Don't be. You okay?"

She hesitated, then shook her head no. The panic of the nightmare was still too real. He leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You've been tossing and turning all night, but every time I thought I should wake you up, you would stop. I'm sorry…"

She turned her head so she could look at him.

"You're sorry? I'm the one keeping you up."

"Its fine. Can I do anything?"

She smiled as she rolled over to face him.

"You already are, you're here."

She whispered as she pressed herself against him, seeking comfort in the solid presence he always seemed to be able to provide. Though she had slept, she was more exhausted than she was when she went to sleep and the emotions that she had been fighting all day finally caught up to her. Her shoulders shook as she started to cry quietly against him.

"Oh Kate…" His emotional reaction to her being upset was evident in his voice and just made her curl even closer to him. He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

"It was like being there all over again…" She said quietly as her tears finally subsided.

"I know, I'm so sorry."

"Do you think…I mean Coonan…"

"I don't know."

"I just…its so similar. And her poor daughter."

He smiled softly. Even when she was upset over something in her own world, Kate was always empathetic to the victims in the case. It was a small part of what made her so good at her job.

"We'll catch whoever did this."

"I know, but what if…"

"Then we'll deal with that too. I'll be here, no matter what."

"Thank you Rick." She smiled as she pulled back from his embrace and kissed him softly. He rested his forehead against hers then kissed her again briefly before she settled back against him.

"Anything for you Kate. Now try to get some sleep."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

OY! I'm sorry it has been FOREVER since I've updated. I haven't been writing much recently. I'm going to try to get into the swing of things again. Thank you to those of you still following this, I know its been forever. I usually update much much faster than this lol.


	17. Chapter 15

Castle sat in the chair next to Beckett's desk watching her work. She had become more distant the longer the morning drug on. They had spent all morning going over notes and making phone calls but had come up with nothing. Ryan and Esposito were out talking to businesses around the crime scene again and that left Beckett and Castle at the precinct. His last offer to get her coffee had been met by an annoyed glare so he hadn't said anything for the past half an hour. She was busy looking at the murder board and he glanced over at the box of evidence she had set on the table near the board. He pulled on a pair of gloves and grabbed Joanna's purse. Beckett glanced sideways at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Making myself useful."

"Nothing was missing."

"I know, but that doesn't mean we can't learn something about her. You women keep some strange things in your purses."

Beckett rolled her eyes and resumed her cross armed stare at the murder board. Castle dug to the bottom of the purse and pulled out a handful of lose receipts. Most of them were from coffee shops and little restaurants around her office, then he came to one that wasn't.

"Uh, Beckett?"

"What Castle?"

"This one…its from Starbucks."

"Riveting, really."

"No, its from a Starbucks a block away from where her car was, at 6:45 the night she was killed. It looks like she walked to Starbucks, then to End Note."

Beckett hurried over and read the receipt over his shoulder as she flipped her phone open and called Esposito.

"There is a receipt in her purse from a Starbucks a block from where her car was found. Go talk to people there. Ask for Molly, that's the name of the person who rang her up that night. Call me when you're done."

Her conversation was short and she half smiled at Castle as she shut her phone.

"Good job."

He laughed quietly as he stuck the receipt in bag and handed it to her so she could stick it on the board. She added the Starbucks stop to the time line and continued to stare at the board as Castle kept rummaging though the purse.

He smiled as he go to her wallet and started looking though her pictures. They were mostly of her daughter. There were a few of her husband and what Castle assumed were other family members, but most of them were of Kaitlyn. He furrowed his eyebrows together as he came to an empty place where the most recent picture should have been. In its place was a white piece of paper. He stuck his finger in the slot, slid it out and unfolded it.

_**The other night dear, as I lay dreaming, I dreamed I held you in my arms. When I awoken, I was mistaken, and I hung my head and I cried.**_

Castle's mouth went dry as he read the lines. He tried to call Beckett's name but the sound wouldn't come out. She looked over at him and was at his side in an instant based on the look on his face.

"Castle, what is it?"

He turned the paper so she could read it and watched as her face fell too.

"More song lyrics…the killer must have left it. Where was it Castle?"

"I-in the place of one of Kaitlyn's pictures." Castle stammered. Beckett pulled on a pair of gloves and took the paper from him as well as the wallet.

"These have to get to the lab, hopefully they can get prints or something off of them." She muttered to herself as she walked. Castle stayed sitting in his chair staring blankly at the murder board. He hadn't expected to find anything useful when he starting going through the purse. He just wanted something to do. What he found had him thinking; what kind of monster killed people so violently then left behind lyrics from a children's song? The potential answer made him shudder.

When Beckett walked back in the bullpen a few minutes later she had just hung up the phone. She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and was headed towards the elevator before Castle even realized what she was doing. He shoved the purse back in the evidence box and hurried after her.

"Esposito and Ryan have been talking to Molly." She began her explanation once he reached her side. "Turns out Joanna was at Starbucks for a while before she bought the coffee."

"How long is a while?"

"She got there around four." Beckett responded, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh! Maybe her meeting with Mark Z?"

"That's what I'm thinking. We're going to go find out."

"Are you sure this isn't just an excuse for Starbucks?" Castle joked as they stepped into the elevator and was met by a glare from Beckett that spoke volumes.

"Right. No jokes. Got it. Not funny."

The corners of Beckett's mouth turned up in a slight smile as the elevator doors slid closed.

* * *

><p>Ryan and Esposito were standing outside of the Starbucks waiting when Castle and Beckett showed up.<p>

"Well, what have we got?" Beckett asked as she headed towards the door, pausing briefly for their answer.

"Molly was working the twelve to eight shift that night and was here when Joanna walked in, she said around four. A man showed up to meet her, probably around four fifteen. She said they spoke briefly and the man left around four thirty and seemed angry." Esposito answered, falling in step beside her.

"Great. Thanks you guys. Did you get a description?"

"Caucasian, mid to late 40's. Between 5"8 and 5"10, Medium to heavy build. Brown hair, she wasn't sure of his eyes. Carrying a black case with a sleeve tattoo on his right arm. She wasn't sure what the tattoo was, just that it covered his arm." Ryan rattled off, reading from his notepad.

"Perfect, can you guys hit End Note again with that description, and businesses close to the alley. We're working with a bigger time frame now, he could have been waiting for her."

"Got it." They both nodded and headed towards End Note. Castle followed Beckett into Starbucks where she wasted no time walking to the counter and flashing her badge.

"I'm detective Beckett, NYPD, I'm looking for Molly."

The shy blonde girl behind the counter stuttered and answer

"I-I'm Molly…b-but I just told the other to detectives everything I know."

"I know, I just have a few more questions for you if you don't mind."

"Um…sure."

Molly made her way out from behind the counter and joined Castle and Beckett at one of the tables in the corner. Beckett slid a picture of Joanna across the table towards Molly.

"You said you saw her here the other night?"

"Yes. She came in around four."

"Are you sure of the time?"

"Yes, because it was right when I came back from my break. I only noticed her because she said Hi when she came in the door. That's not very common anymore."

"No, its not. Did someone meet her here?"

"Yea, some guy. Around four fifteen. Some white guy carrying a black case. She waved him over to the table, they talked for a few minutes then he came up to the counter and bought a bottle of water. She was looking at whatever was in the case while he was up here, then he went back to the table. They talked for a few more minutes, he closed the case and walked out looking really annoyed. He didn't yell or anything, but he was mad."

"And what did she do."

"She opened a book and started reading. She came up around five thirty and bought a muffin and went back to the table. Then around six forty five she came up and got a coffee, said have a nice night, and left. I guess she was here killing time."

"Did anyone else come talk to her while she was here?"

"No, just the man."

"The case he had…what kind of case was it? Like a breifcase? A laptop case?"

"No, it was strange. It was long and thin."

Castle held his phone out to Molly.

"Like this?"

"Yes. Exactly like that." Castle handed his phone to Beckett.

"One piece clarinet case." He explained.

"That would explain why he was mad. She didn't want to buy the clarinet."

"And that's why she stuck around go to go End Note. She was hoping to meet Mark here and buy his, but he didn't have what she wanted."

"But why wait? Why not just go to End Note right away?"

"Maybe…she was already here, why not kill time here before she was supposed to meet her family for dinner? That wasn't until eight. End Note isn't that far…"

Beckett bit the corner of her lip and made a few notes on her note pad then looked back to Molly.

"This man with the case, you said he had a tattoo?"

"Yea, I didn't serve him, I was helping someone else, but Irma, the girl who did, really likes tattoos. She said it was a cool sleeve."

"Is Irma here?"

"Yea, she's on break."

"Great. Just one more question. When he paid for his water, did he use cash?"

"I don't know, Irma would though."

"Okay, would you mind sending Irma out here?"

"Sure."

Beckett wrote a few more notes as they waited for Irma.

"Are you hoping he didn't pay by cash?"

"Yes. it's a long shot, but if he paid by credit card we can pull all of the credit card transactions from that night and hopefully get a match on name and address."

"Who uses a card to pay for water?"

"Hopefully Mark Z."

A few minutes later a short black haired girl sat down at the table with them.

"Irma?"

"Yes, Molly said you wanted to talk to me."

"We do. I'm detective Beckett, this is Richard Castle. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions about a man you helped the other night?"

"The sleeve tattoo guy?"

"Yes, him. Do you remember what his tattoo looked like?"

"Yes. It was awesome. It was a dragon that wrapped around his arm. The dragon itself was on his forearm, the tail wrapped down his wrist and his middle finger. All around the dragon were flames of different colors. The dragon was black."

Beckett nodded as she wrote down what Irma was telling her.

"Did you happen to notice the color of his eyes?"

"Red."

Beckett blinked and looked up from her notes.

"Red?"

"Yes."

Beckett looked at Castle who laughed and turned to Irma.

"They man's eyes, not the dragons."

"Oh…right. His eyes were brown. I was kind of sad, I prefer blue eyes. Like yours."

Castle smiled and Beckett cleared her throat.

"And did he pay using cash?"

"No, he was going to but didn't have any and was annoyed that he had to use a credit card to buy a bottle of water."

Beckett smiled slowly.

"Irma, I'm going to need to speak with your manager please."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Any mistakes are mine (as they always are). Another short chapter, I know, but if I make you guys wait for longer ones, it will be longer between updates. I haven't been able to just sit and crank out 10 pages in an hour like I was for a while there. Thank you for the reviews/comments.

_**Review that made my day:**_ **brenelli** I am flattered that I was your first favorite author. There are so, so many authors on here that are much better than I am. Your comment made me smile and I'm glad you've stuck around and kept following this story.

To everyone reading: This is a monster of a story, it's long, its twisted, it may get ugly lol. Just...warning you.

As always, thank you everyone for reading, even if you don't comment or review, though those are always loved.


	18. Chapter 16

The manager of the Starbucks had been happy to cooperate and it wasn't long before they were back at the precinct running the credit card transactions made between four and five pm the night of Joanna's murder. They found a transaction made at four thirty seven for a bottle of water. The name on the credit card was Mark Zelasko and it hadn't taken Ryan and Esposito long to have him in the interrogation room waiting to be questioned.

He sat at the table with his hands folded together in front of him, his fingers laced together, tapping one thumb on the nail of the other. Beckett watched him from behind the mirror. The fact that he was leaning back slightly in the chair said that he wasn't nervous, but the thumb tapping said he wasn't completely at ease either.

"You said he came willingly right?" She asked Ryan who stood off to one side.

"Yep. We told him we wanted to bring him in for questioning about a meeting he had with a woman at Starbucks. He muttered something about the bitch turning him in for stolen merchandise but came along on his own accord."

Beckett nodded and sucked the corner of her lower lip between her teeth as she watched him for a few more seconds. She flipped open the file she was carrying and read over her notes briefly then closed it. She knew she had to word the questions right. They had no evidence tying him to the murder scene and couldn't hold him for anything. The wrong question could make him refused to talk to them anymore and, so far, he was the only lead in the case. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked towards the interrogation room.

Castle hesitated a second before following her. She made no move to stop him, so he walked in the room with her and took his customary chair next to hers at the table.

"Mark Zelasko, I am Detective Kate Beckett. This is Richard Castle, he is here to observe. Thank you for coming in to answer a few questions."

"This is about that lady at Starbucks?"

"Yes. Her name is Joanna Schroder. Did you meet with her at Starbucks?" As she spoke, Beckett slid a picture of Joanna across the table. As he reached for it Beckett noticed the dragon tail tattoo wrapped around his middle finger. He looked at the picture briefly, then set it back on the table.

"Yea, that was her."

"Do you mind telling us why you were meeting with her at Starbucks?"

"She was interested in something I was selling."

"Which was?"

"A clarinet."

"Starbucks employees tell us that you left angry."

"Yea I did, after what she told me, anyone would have."

"What did she tell you?"

Mark sighed and leaned forward, his weight resting on his elbows on the table. As he did, the front of his jacket slid open and Beckett's heart skipped a beat when she saw a blue and white plaid flannel shirt. Castle shifted in his chair as he noticed too.

"She told me that the clarinet I had was a fake and not only was she not going to buy it, but that no one else who knew their stuff would buy it either. Which means what I thought was a $1000 clarinet was only worth a couple hundred bucks. So yea, I was pissed."

"And how did she know it was a fake?"

"She showed me. The serial number had been sanded off and so had the logo on the bell of the clarinet. She said it looked like someone had painted or stamped the buffet logo on there."

"You weren't aware it was a fake?"

"Not until she told me, no. I don't know anything about music. I took it from some guy who owed me money. He only owed me five hundred bucks, he said I could sell it for twice that much. And I guess I could have, if it were real. I ended up giving the thing to a friend. Not even worth my time to sell it."

Mark huffed and leaned back in the chair again, folding his arms across his chest, his annoyance evident on his face.

"So what did she do now? Try to report me for stealing it or something?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. So what did you do when you left Starbucks?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Mr. Zelasko, the woman you met with was murdered later that night, somewhere around seven pm. You were the last person seen with her and you left the scene of that meeting angry."

Beckett watched Mark's expression carefully as the reality of why he was being questioned set in. She watched as his face went from confused to comprehending to outrage to fear and, unless he was a very good actor, the emotions seemed genuine.

"She was…killed?"

"Yes."

"So…wait? You think I killed her? No way…I wasn't mad at her! I was just upset that she said the thing wasn't worth any money!"

"I'm not saying that you killed her Mark, I'm just asking where you went next."

"I-I went home. A few friends came over, we watched wrestling on pay per view, ordered pizza. I was home the rest of the night. I swear."

"What time did your friends leave?"

"Somewhere around midnight. But…can't you check my pay per view? Or…the pizza! I paid for it with my credit card."

"We will look into all of that Mr. Zelasko. For now you are free to go, but we will be in touch."

Mark stood up from the chair as soon as Beckett said he could go and hurried nervously towards the door.

"Mr. Zelasko?" Castle called as Mark reached for the doorknob. Beckett shot him an annoyed look, which he ignored.

"Yes?"

"Do you happen to remember what you were wearing to your meeting with Joanna?"

Mark thought for a minute and then his eyes opened wide as he took off his jacket.

"This shirt. I was wearing this shirt that day. Here, you can take it and test it for…whatever you test it for." He rambled as he unbuttoned the shirt. "I have an undershirt on, its fine. I washed it, but I've watched cop shows on TV, even if its washed you guys can still find stuff."

He shrugged the shirt off and hastily put it on the table in front of Beckett. Castle and Beckett both got a clear view of his dragon tattoo before he pulled his jacket back on.

"There. Take it. Whatever I can do to show you guys I didn't kill her. I don't need it back." He stammered as he hurried for the door again. Beckett dropped her forehead down to the palm of her right hand.

"Thank you Mr. Zelasko, that wasn't necessary, but we'll be in touch."

He nodded at her as he hurried out of the room. The door clicked shut and Beckett turned to Castle, not bothering to lift her head as she glared at him.

"What the hell was that?"

"THAT was me brilliantly getting that shirt so we can compare the fibers."

"We don't need to compare the fibers Castle, he has alibis. I'm sure they will check out. His reaction when I told him that she had been killed seemed pretty genuine. I can run his credit card for the pizza delivery, I can ask the pizza guy. He doesn't seem like our guy. Besides, I don't think he would have stripped out of the shirt and handed it over if he had violently stabbed someone while wearing it."

"Maybe not, but you have to admit, blue flannel is a pretty big coincidence. And maybe we didn't need the shirt, but now that you have it, I know you'll have them run it."

Beckett shook her head as he slid his chair back from the table.

"Its okay, you can thank me later."

She huffed and stood up, grabbing the shirt as she followed him out of the interrogation room and back towards the bullpen.

* * *

><p>A few hours later Beckett was leaning against the edge of the table looking at the murder board. Castle walked up to her with a cup of coffee which she absent mindedly took and held for a minute and then sat it on the table next to her.<p>

"Well, his alibis check out. Friends say they were there until midnight, the pizza delivery guy remembered him and the credit card payment for the pizza and pay per view fits too." Ryan rattled off the information as he walked into the room.

Beckett sighed and moved Mark's picture out of the suspect section of the board.

"The shirt fibers don't match either. He's not our guy. We're back to square one."

The three of them stared at the board in silence until Esposito walked into the room.

"The husband checks out too. Several waiters remember seeing both him and the daughter at the restaurant until closing the night she was killed."

"We're missing something. We have to be. I just don't know what…" Beckett's thought drifted into silence as she continued to look at the board. Castle met Ryan and Esposito's eyes behind her back and they shrugged.

"What about a client?" Ryan asked. Beckett shook her head slowly.

"Her assistant said there weren't any problems with anyone, but it looks like we're going to have to dig deeper than that. Why don't you guys head to her office. Ask for a client list, talk to Zoe again. Maybe she'll remember something."

"Alright, we're on it."

They shot Castle a sympathetic look as they walked out of the room. They knew that Beckett became more difficult to deal with when there were no leads on a case. When they left she stood up and walked to the board.

"I just don't think it's a client. This seems so much more personal. There is something we aren't seeing. Someone we're missing. The duct tape with the lyrics, lyrics to the same song in her wallet. That missing picture of her daughter. I need to talk to her husband again."

She rattled off the information more to herself than to Castle then pulled out her phone and dialed Greg's phone number. She tapped her foot as the phone rang then her shoulders sagged slightly as it went to voicemail.

"Hi Mr. Schroder, this is Detective Kate Beckett. I was hoping you had some time to answer a few more questions regarding your wife. Please call me as soon as you get this message. Thank you."

She flipped her phone shut and sat on the edge of the table again. Castle moved closer to her until their shoulders were touching. She tensed at the contact, then leaned against him. He put his hand on her knee and squeezed it softly.

"Why don't you call it a night? You're starting to go in circles with this and-"

"Castle. You always want me to call it a night when a case starts to get hard or I seem tired. This is my job. Calling it a night isn't going to solve anything. I'm missing something, and I'm going to find it. Calling it a night isn't going to get that done."

She snapped and cut him off before he could finish his sentence. As she spoke she moved away from him to stand in front of the board again then she turned to face him.

"Why don't you call it a night?"

"Kate…if you're staying, I'm staying. I just-"

"No, seriously. I know you don't like seeing me like this, so why don't you call it a night early. Go home, spend some time with Alexis. I'll be fine."

"You want me to go home?"

The softness in his voice and the look on his face when Kate met his eyes snapped her out of her mood. She could see the hurt in his eyes and she hadn't meant to hurt him. She let out a long breath and walked over to stand in front of him, her hands resting on his shoulders.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just…I can't leave yet. I know you want me to, I know you think it would be better, but I just can't. So…just go home for a while? And let me do my thing. I'll come later."

He smiled and put his hands on her waist as he pulled her closer.

"If I leave you here, you'll sleep on the couch in the break room. I know how you are, you won't just leave."

"Then come back for me if I don't, but I need to do this…alone…for a while."

His eyes met hers and he could see the fight she was having with herself not to push him away completely. If she was going to give some, then it was only fair that he did the same. He stood up and sighed as he kissed her forehead briefly.

"Alright. I'll go, but I'm coming back for you later and I'll drag you away if I have to."

She leaned against him for a second, part of her not wanting him to leave, part of her wanting to go with him and part of her knowing she needed to work on the case alone for a while. He was always what kept her grounded and sometimes she needed to just get lost in it.

"Thanks Castle."

She whispered as his hands fell away from her hips and he walked towards the elevator. She watched him go for a second then turned back to the murder board to start from the beginning again.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

See? Not as long to update this time. :-D I try lol. Can I just say, Castle fandom, that it is SEPTEMBER! FJDKSLFJLSD. Anyhow.

Review that made my day:__**disneyfan453** - I'm glad you read and enjoyed both stories and I am flattered that they have been some of your favorite. I'm also glad you notice the effort that goes into the case in the stories. The balance between the case and the personal stories is something I really respect about the show, and I try to "copy" it so to speak in my writing, so I'm glad you enjoy that aspect of it.

To everyone reading, as always, thank you!


	19. Chapter 17

Hours later, alone in the precinct except for the officers that were there for the night shift, Beckett closed her folder of notes with a heavy sigh. She hadn't made any progress and realized she wasn't going to until she had more to go on. She had spoken with Mr. Schroder earlier in the evening and he had agreed to more questioning the following day, when he was home. He had been out with family and was due home the next afternoon. They were back to zero leads and Beckett knew that no matter how much she read and reread her notes and the board, there wasn't any more of a connection to be made yet. She let her hand rest for a moment on the closed folder as she wrestled with the desire to open it and read again. She finally reached up and clicked off the light at her desk.

She grabbed the jacket off the back of her chair and stood up, wincing at the stiffness in her back and legs. She was surprised to hear the ding of the elevator as it reached the second floor. Castle smiled at her as he walked out and strode towards her desk. She met him halfway.

"Coming to drag me home?" She said wearily, attempting to smile at him.

"On your orders. I believe your exact words were: then come back for me. So, here I am."

"Believe it or not I was actually on my way out."

"I see that. I am impressed Detective, I thought I would have to carry you out of here. Though, I am slightly disappointed that I don't."

He arched his eyebrows at her and she laughed softly as they made their way to the elevator. Once inside she leaned against the back and let her eyes slip shut as her head thumped against the wall.

"Any progress?" Castle asked quietly.

"None. Mr. Schroder called me back, he won't be home until tomorrow afternoon. Aside from that, there isn't a connection to make. Not one I'm seeing anyhow."

"Well if you don't see it, I'm sure its not there."

She stifled a yawn and smiled at him as the doors slid open and they walked to the parking lot. They got in her car in comfortable silence and she headed towards his loft, chewing her bottom lip as she thought.

"What's on your mind? I mean, aside from the case."

She glanced sideways at him. Sometimes it was comforting and sweet how well he could read her. Other times, like now, it was just plain annoying. She knew he wasn't going to like what she had on her mind, but she said it anyways.

"I was just thinking…maybe I should go home tonight. To my place…" She let the sentence trail off into silence, not wanting to emphasize the fact that she wanted to be alone.

"Would you settle for me sleeping on the couch? My place or yours?"

"Castle…I'm not having you sleep on the couch at your own house."

"Your couch is fine."

She sighed and ran her hand though her hair.

"Why can't you just let me go home? I'll be fine."

"I don't like the thought of you waking up from a nightmare alone, you know that. And I like waking up next to you. Besides, I already have dinner for you at home. Why don't you come up and eat at least, then if you still want to go home…then fine."

"Alright." She mumbled her agreement and a few minutes later she was on his couch with one of Alexis's many movie blankets pulled up around her. He came out of the kitchen with a bowl of macaroni and cheese and one of his chocolate milkshakes. She smiled as he handed them to her.

"Comfort food?"

"I thought it fit the current situation." He winked at her as he flopped next to her on the couch. She tucked her feet against his thigh and took a bite of the mac and cheese. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she started eating and then realized she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. She finished the bowl and sipped on the milkshake as Castle flipped though channels and finally settled on Aladdin. She laughed and set the shake on the table as she let her head drop down and rest on the arm of the couch.

"Thanks Castle." She mumbled, already sleepy.

"You're welcome."

Five minutes later he heard her breathing even out and he knew she had fallen asleep. He reached under the blankets and pulled her heels off and she barely moved. He sighed as he watched her sleep. He knew this case was going to be hard on her; the longer it took to solve it the harder it was going to be and he wished he could do something to help. When it came to anything concerning her mother's case she still pushed him away and he wished she would just trust him enough to let him be there for her.

"Kate." He shook her gently, not wanting to just leave her on the couch. She mumbled and shifted so she was stretched out more, but other than that she didn't respond. He stood up and pulled the blanket over her, brushing his thumb across her cheek as he tucked it around her shoulders. He would deal with her being mad in the morning if she was upset about sleeping there, but for now, she was too peaceful for him to wake her up.

A few hours later, Kate woke up with a gasp and sat bolt upright, completely confused at her surroundings. She remembered being at Castle's for dinner and Aladdin coming on TV, but that was the last thought she had until the dream had woken her up. She blinked a few times and looked around, her eyes adjusting to the dark as the panic lessened. She was on Castle's couch. She grumbled at herself for falling asleep here when she had meant to go home. There was no way she could leave now without waking up the whole house. If she were honest with herself she didn't really want to be alone now anyways. She looked towards the door to Castle's bedroom and smiled at the fact that it was open. Grumbling to herself about wanting to go crawl in bed with him she eventually gave up and headed quietly to the bedroom.

She slowly opened a drawer on what had become her side of the dresser and pulled out a long t-shirt. She peeled her clothes off and slipped the shirt over her head before crawling into her side of the bed under the covers. She got settled down and shifted so she was closer to him but stopped because she didn't want to wake him up. A few minutes later she felt him move behind her and his arm found its way around her waist and he pulled her back against him. He didn't say anything, just held her against him and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for being willing to speak with us again Mr. Schroder." Beckett smiled as she and Castle sat on the couch in the Schroder's living room. Pictures of Kaitlyn lined the walls and the fireplace above the mantel. He returned her smile half heartedly and sighed heavily.<p>

"Please, call me Greg, and I will speak to you as much as you'd like if it will help find who did this to Joanna."

Beckett nodded slowly and flipped open her notebook.

"Do you have any idea who else she was speaking to about trying to find a clarinet?"

"No. I didn't even know she was looking for one until you asked me about it. She must have been planning a surprise."

"Is Kaitlyn your only child?"

Greg looked around the room at all of the pictures and smiled softly.

"Yes, she is."

"Can you tell us what picture would have been in the empty spot in your wifes wallet?"

Beckett handed him the picture holder from Joanna's wallet. He flipped though the pictures until he came to the empty place. He thought for a moment then stood up and grabbed a picture off of the mantel. It looked like a recent picture of Kaitlyn; her hair was down, she had on a dark gray shirt and the background was a vivid purple. He handed it to Beckett as he sat back down.

"That one. Her senior picture. Are you saying someone took Kaitlyn's picture from her wallet?"

"Its possible. We haven't found it in the car, so unless you have seen it around the house, we're going to assume the killer took it."

"I haven't seen it anywhere. So you're saying this…monster…has a picture of my daughter?"

"I'm afraid so. Can you think of anyone at all who would have wanted to hurt your wife? Any one who had been upset with her for any reason lately, no matter how trivial."

Greg ran his hand though his hair then rested his elbows on his knees as he let his head fall into his hands. Beckett could tell his patience with the questioning was wearing thin.

"No…nothing. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know, we ask the same questions over and over but something that might seem like nothing to you could make a difference. Did Joanna and Kaitlyn have a special song or anything? Maybe something she used to sing when Kaitlyn was little?"

"No…nothing she sang. Kaitlyn has always loved classical music. She and her mom wrote a lullaby that Joanna used to play to her on the piano some nights. It didn't have a name, but I'm sure I could get Kaitlyn to play it for you if you needed her to."

"No, that's fine. That's all for now Mr. - Greg. Thank you again for being so cooperative."

"Any time Detective. Please, if you need me again, call."

"We will." Beckett smiled at him sadly as her and Castle walked out the front door and headed towards the car. They got in and headed towards the precinct in silence. Castle could tell Beckett was angry, so he left her alone with her thoughts. A few minutes later she hit the heel of her hand on the steering wheel.

"I hate this. I hate when we have nothing. No leads, no suspects, nothing to go on."

Castle hesitated for a moment. It was hard to tell in moments like these whether it was best to stay quiet, or speak. Sometimes neither was the right answer.

"You'll find something. You always do."

She smiled briefly and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Thanks Castle."

"So..we're headed back to the precinct to see what Ryan and Esposito have dug up with her client list?"

"Yea, hopefully they've had better luck than we have."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Hopefully you guys haven't written me off. Life got in the way, then I was on a road trip for 3 weeks. I plan on finishing this. I think now that the show is back on I will be more motivated to write more, but no promises. If you are STILL sticking with this story, I thank you!<p>

New & Old readers alike, thank you, as always, for reading!


	20. Chapter 18

Several hours later the four of them sat around a table at the precinct looking exhausted and very frustrated. Esposito dropped the folder he had been reading onto the table, laced his fingers together behind his head and leaned back.

"Nothing. There is nothing here. None of her clients have any violent history, or anything that would suggest they would be capable or have a reason to kill her."

"No person connections either. Nothing that suggests a relationship out side of work." Ryan finished as he too leaned back in his chair.

Beckett sighed and set down the folder she was looking though and looked around the table at her team. They all looked tired, especially Castle. She knew working on the case was making him tired, and so was worrying about her. She also knew that the people sitting around the table with her were just as determined and dedicated as she was, and they would keep going just as long as she did, and just as hard. She smiled at them.

"Good work guys. Let's call it a night, maybe something will pop out at us tomorrow."

All three of the men at the table looked up at her as she stood like they had seen a ghost.

"Did the Detective Kate Beckett just call it a night? Early?" Ryan quipped, half smiling at her.

"Are you serious?" Esposito asked as he sat up straighter. Castle just smiled at her.

"Yep. We've all been going over and over the same stuff in this case. We're tired and you can tell. Lets call it a night and hit it hard again tomorrow. We can solve this, but not if we just keep doing the same thing because we're frustrated and tired. Come on Castle, lets go home."

Beckett forced a smile at him. She wanted to just sit and lose herself in the case, but she knew if she did, so would the rest of her team. She didn't have a problem running herself into the ground, but she couldn't be the reason that they did it too. The four of them stood and walked back out to the bullpen. Beckett headed straight for the elevator, knowing that if she stopped at her desk the desire to grab the case notes and head for the murder board would be over whelming.

"G'night guys." She called to Ryan and Esposito as she walked past their desks with Castle.

"Good night" they answered together, raising their hands slightly to wave at her, a confused expression still etched on their faces.

"That was nice of you." Castle said softly as they got in the car.

"What?"

"What you did in there. Calling it a night because you know they need it. I know you want to sit in there until the early hours of the morning and pour over the case files, but you know they'd be right there with you."

"Yea well, they're my team. I have to do what's right for them too."

"It was still nice."

She rolled her eyes at him and they rode in comfortable silence for a little while. If she was honest with herself, she knew stepping away from the case wasn't a bad idea. It just wasn't what she wanted to do. She looked sideways again at Castle as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to text someone.

"What are you doing?"

"Texting Alexis, telling her its game night."

"Game night?"

"Yes, its like movie night, only…with games. You know, monopoly, life, clue…oh, maybe not clue. That's kind of close to real life stuff…hmm….if you want really mindless I probably have candy land?"

Beckett laughed despite how tired she was and decided that game night at Castle's sounded more appealing than her original plan of talking him into letting her go home alone so she could soak in the bathtub.

"You're on, but I'm warning you, I play a mean game of candy land."

Castle looked at her in shock. He was surprised that she agreed to come to his house and decided not to ask if she was staying the night. She smiled at him coyly,

"What's the matter Castle, afraid of the competition?"

"Please, no one plays kids games better than I do. And do not comment on that." He added quickly before she could remark on the statement.

They walked in the front door of the loft and Martha already had the table set and there was a pile of board games sitting on the floor next to the counter. Kate laughed at Candyland sitting on top. Just then Alexis came downstairs.

"Dad text me and told me you specifically requested Candyland. I hope he was telling the truth, because you have any idea how far back in my closet I had to dig for that?"

"Oh, I can imagine." Kate smiled as she pulled off her heels and gratefully accepted the glass of wine Martha handed her. They made small talk though dinner and Kate found herself actually relaxing in the hours of board games that followed. Everyone laughed the most at the standoff between Rick and Kate at the end of Candyland.

"I'm telling you Castle, it has to be the violet card. You have to land ON that space to win."

"You do NOT! You just have to pass it, which I would have done numerous times already if you weren't being such a control freak."

"I'm not being a control freak, you're trying to cheat."

As they spoke they both drew color cards, both of them hoping for violet; the color of the last square on the board. Both of their gingerbread people sat on the square just before the last one. Whoever got the violet card first would win. Beckett laughed triumphantly and moved her piece to the violet square as she picked up the last card.

"There! I win. Best two out of three."

"How about three out of five"

"Dad!" Alexis groaned from across the table. "Really? Its almost midnight and you're going to make her play more?"

"He's a sore loser, always has been." Martha quipped from the couch. She had given up on the board game marathon earlier in the evening.

"Mother, quitting means you give up the right to comment."

She waved her hand at him over her shoulder as she headed to her bedroom.

"I'm off to bed anyway. Goodnight all."

"I'm off to bed too, good night dad, good night Kate."

"Good night Alexis." They called in unison as she headed up the stairs. Rick turned back to Kate.

"Three out of five"

"Just admit defeat Castle." She mumbled around a yawn.

"Only if you do too, time for bed?"

"Mhmm." She put her arms above her head as she stretched the scooted back from the table. All thoughts she had earlier about going back to her own apartment had disappeared during dinner and games. Being with family was more relaxing than any bath or shower could ever be. Kate stopped dead in her tracks. Had she just thought of Castle and his family as _her _family? Rick walked up behind her and put his arm around her waist, pull her back against his chest. She smiled as he wrapped his other arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She leaned into his embrace and sighed.

"You okay?" He mumbled against her neck. She smiled at his concern. He always did so much to make sure she was okay, despite her pushing him away, he was always there. She turned her head and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yea, I'm fine. Lets go to bed."

She took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

* * *

><p>"Beckett" Kate mumbled into the phone quietly, trying to not wake up the man sleeping beside her. He had his arm draped loosely around her waist and she knew if she moved too much he would wake up. Esposito laughed softly on the other end.<p>

"You know he's going to wake up anyways. You might as well just wake him up now."

"What have you got?"

Castle leaned over her and mumbled into the phone.

"Better be a body….something interesting…" Kate put her elbow in the middle of his chest and pushed him backwards.

"See? I told you he would wake up. Anyhow…yes, there is a body. And Beckett…it's the same guy as the Schroder case."

Kate's whole body tensed as she scribbled down the address on the pad of paper on the nightstand and flipped her phone shut. The same killer meant the possibility of a serial killer. The thought sent chills down her back. Castle took one look at her face as she climbed out of bed and knew there was something wrong; something big. He was out of bed in an instant and keeping pace with her as she got dressed.

"What is it Kate?" He asked quietly as they moved around each other in the bathroom.

"Esposito said it's the same guy as the Schroder case." His eyes met hers in the mirror and he could already see her mind working in over drive. He knew she was running over things she could have missed. He also knew to leave her alone. They were both dressed and out the door in less than ten minutes from when she hung up with Esposito.

They pulled up to the crime scene fifteen minutes later. Ryan and Esposito were standing just outside of the crime scene tape, each of them holding a cup of coffee. Beckett glanced at their cups then stared at Castle as he handed her one.

"When did you…"

"At home, I tried giving it to you in the car but you were…distracted."

"Right…sorry…thank you." She muttered as she took the cup from him and took a drink.

"What have we got?" Castle asked Ryan.

"Dawn Lassiter. 42. Her husband and daughter are away for the weekend, camping. The neighbor found her when he was leaving for work."

"Has anyone contacted her family?" Beckett asked quietly.

"Yea, the neighbor did. He called 911, then called the husband. He's over there." Esposito motioned to a sick looking man sitting on the steps of the house next door. A uniformed officer was standing with him.

"Have you guys talked to him?"

"Not yet. He was…not in any state to speak when we pulled up. He's just recently stopped throwing up. We were giving him a minute."

Beckett nodded and looked around Esposito's shoulder towards where Lanie was with the body.

"We're sure its the same guy?"

"Yes. Lanie won't confirm it until she gets her back to the lab, but…you can tell…"

Beckett bit the inside of her bottom lip as she nodded, then took a deep breathe and ducked under the tape. She felt Castle following closely behind her but didn't turn to look at him.

"Morning Beckett, Castle." Lanie called quietly, not looking up from what she was doing. Neither Beckett or Castle responded as they got closer to the body.

"What have we got Lanie?" Beckett asked as she walked around the body. She was slumped in the driveway, next to her car, her body half supported by the rear tire on the drivers side. Even she could tell without any comparison in the lab it was the same killer. The amount of blood around the body was unreal. The same gruesome wound ran across the front of her body, diagonally from shoulder almost to her hip. There were similar wounds on her thighs and arms, and a single stab wound to her neck. There was duct tape across her mouth, and Beckett knew without looking what it would say, but she bent closer anyhow.

_**Please don't take my sunshine away**_

"I would put time of death sometime between 10pm and 2am. I won't confirm it without getting her back to the lab, but chances are she was killed by the same knife as in the Schroder case."

Beckett closed her eyes briefly then opened them again as Ryan and Esposito came walking up.

"The neighbor, Mr. Beautigh, says he found her when he was leaving for work this morning, around five am. He didn't hear anything last night."

"Does he know of anyone who would have wanted to hurt her?"

"We were asking but he…is ill again. We're giving him some space."

Beckett nodded slowly and walked around the body.

"Her purse?"

"Right next to the car, where she dropped it. Doesn't look like a robbery." Ryan called as he rummaged though her purse. "Keys and wallet are still here."

"Look through her pictures. Castle found that note in Joanna's purse in place of a picture. Maybe the killer did the same thing here."

Ryan nodded and flipped open the wallet then stopped cold, his mouth hung open.

"Um…Beckett? You need to…see this…."

He held up a piece of paper with the same printing as the writing on the duct tape. Beckett walked over and took it from him.

_**Detective Beckett:**_

_**I want to be caught. I am tired of being me, even though, for the first time in my life someone wants me. You are supposed to be the best. How many will you let me kill before you stop me?**_

Kate's mind reeled as she read the note. Her mouth went dry and she had to fight the wave of nausea that swept over her. The killer had made it personal. It was bad enough that there was a serial killer on the lose, but he was specifically targeting people with the intention of being caught. By her. She bit her lip hard as she slipped the note into an evidence bag and handed it back to Ryan.

"Anything else?"

"I…um…haven't…hang on." Ryan stammered as he flipped though the rest of Dawn's wallet. He stopped when there was a slip of paper in the place of one of the pictures. The same bold printing stared back at them.

_**I'll always love you and make you happy if you will only say the same. But if you leave me, to love another, you'll regret it all someday **_

"More lyrics from that same song." Esposito mumbled as Ryan slipped that note into its own evidence bag.

"Obviously this is the same guy."

Beckett nodded as she let her eyes wander over the crime scene. She never missed anything, but now it was even more important. The killer wanted her to catch him. He had to be leaving things. Things that she had to see. Things she had to figure out, connections that she had to make, before he killed again. She pushed all of her emotions aside; if he wanted to be caught, she was going to catch him. She looked around the body and in the pool of blood, there were no footprints and she had little hope that there would be any finger prints on the car or the body. She scanned the driveway and something caught her attention on the edge of the flowerbed. She walked over and squatted down next to the dirt.

"There is a partial shoe print over here…" She called out loud, then mumbled to herself "If he walked this close to the bushes then there must be…." Her eyes scanned the rosebushes that were planted to separate this driveway from the neighbors and she spotted a few red threads hanging from one of the thorns. She reached out and carefully pulled them off and slipped them into a bag. She went over the rest of the scene twice but found nothing.

She ran her hand though her hair and sighed as Ryan and Esposito came walking over to her.

"We spoke with the neighbor again. He didn't see or hear anything, he just saw her car when he went to leave for work this morning and thought it was weird, it wasn't normally there. He walked over to look and saw her." Ryan explained.

"Alright…talk to other neighbors, maybe someone else heard or saw something. Make sure CSU gets a picture and cast of that partial shoe print…if they can get a cast. You said the neighbor called her husband?"

"Yea, someone from the precinct called him too, he's on his way down now but it will take a few hours."

"Lanie?"

"Yes?"

"Call me as soon as you have something."

"I always do."

Beckett nodded and headed towards her car. Castle followed her quietly and she looked surprised to see him in the car next to her.

"Yes, I'm still here."

"I'm sorry…its just…"

"I know. We'll catch him, don't worry."

"Don't worry? He's said he's going to kill again unless I stop him. Me Castle, not us, not the police, me. That note was specifically to me."

"You know you're not alone in this. We will stop him."

Beckett sighed before putting the car in drive. She put both hands purposefully on the steering wheel, her gaze fixed steadily out the windshield.

"Yea, but like he said, how many people am I going to let him kill before I do."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Not AS long between updates this time...lol.

Thank you for continuing to read and review. To those of you who say you sit and read the whole story in a few hours...that floors me every time. I love being sucked into stories and forgetting reality for a while, so to hear that my writing is...gripping enough to do that to some people is a huge compliment :)


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